Exploring How Preservice and Early Career English Teachers Negotiate a Rural Sense of Belonging

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: Rural School Staffing: Teacher and Leader Preparation

Abstract

This paper extends conversations regarding English teachers’ introductions and considerations of place, both as pre-service (PST) and early-career teachers (ECT). Specifically, we describe participants’ negotiations with space, people, and curriculum as they cultivate their sense of belonging (SOB) as rural English teachers. Data includes written and visual data over a five-year
period: written reflections, interviews, and auto-photography, with participants across three cohorts of PSTs and a focal group of ECTs who chose rural schools. Findings illustrate the importance of teacher preparation programs in drawing in and extending teachers’ time in rural schools as a means for PSTs and ECTs to fully explore their sense of belonging as they negotiate rural spaces, people, and curriculum.

Authors

• Allison S. Wynhoff Olsen, Montana State University

• Danette Long, Montana State University

• Kristofer Olsen, Montana State University

• William Joseph Fassbender, Montana State University