The Development of Novice Teachers’ Role-Identities as Discussion Facilitators in Social Studies Classrooms

We propose a 5-year sequential mixed-methods longitudinal study that follows two cohorts (phase 1 and phase 2) of preservice secondary social studies candidates from two university- based teacher education programs in Philadelphia into their first two years of classroom instruction. We will conduct individual-level time-series analyses to generate developmental portraits of each participant’s discussion facilitation practices, and enrich this quantitative analysis with thick description of the programs and schools, and qualitative coding of participants’ interviews and reflections on instructional decisions. We will also conduct subgroup analyses to describe developmental patterns among participants. The project aims to generate a theoretical model of teacher learning and development centered on discussion facilitation with implications for teacher education and school contexts. Project leads represent expertise in social studies and history instruction, teacher education, teacher cognitive and professional identity development, and quantitative and mixed-methods. Participating teachers will collaborate as co-researchers on their own learning, analyzing data alongside project leads. The products of this work will include an online repository of annotated videos of social studies discussion to be used in teacher-led professional development. We ask:

• To what extent do novice and early career social studies teachers promote and sustain student reasoned discourse and argumentation about social studies content?
• How do these practices change over time?
• What role-identities support teachers’ instructional decisions to promote and sustain student reasoned discourse and argumentation in particular contexts?
• What personal and group characteristics of teachers and instructional contexts promote, moderate, and constrict the development of these role-identities?

• Project Lead: Abby Reisman, University of Pennsylvania
• Co-Project Lead: Tim Patterson, Temple University
• Avi Kaplan, Temple University
• Wendy Chan, University of Pennsylvania
• Shaquita Smith, School District of Philadelphia
• Yaasiyn Muhammad, School District of Philadelphia