Action Research and Teachers' Cultivation of Researcher and Change Leader Identities

• In Event: Empowering Educators: The Power of Action Research in Teacher Development, Growth, and Transformation

Abstract

This paper explores how a leadership academy on leading professional learning impacted teachers recently certified in an English as a New Language graduate program. The three-course leadership academy focused on approaches to professional learning, action research, and school change. Interview data was gathered from six academy participants two years after program completion to gain insights into the teachers’ narratives of themselves following the experience. Three identity position narratives emerged: teacher, researcher, and change agent leader. They told narratives of transformation, representing learning gained as a new “way of being.” Learning about, designing, and implementing action research tied to professional learning can be understood as a positive form of identity work worthy of further investigation.

Authors

• Brandon Sherman, Indiana University - Indianapolis

• Emily Thien, Indiana University

• Annela Teemant, Indiana University - Indianapolis