Trajectories of participation to a community of practice: New elementary school teachers

Abstract

The present study examined new elementary school teachers' trajectories of participation to a community of practice. Participating teachers were 4 men and 7 women, 22-26 years old, with 1-3 years' teaching experience. Analysis was based on the theory of Legitimate Peripheral Participation (Lave & Wenger, 1991). Teachers participated in semi-structured interviews, from which transcripts were prepared. Using a Modified Grounded Theory Approach (Kinoshita, 1999, 2003), which describes trajectories of participation, a developmental model was developed. The teachers reported that they had had to acquire concrete skills and knowledge to become experienced teachers, while simultaneously believing that interactions with other teachers, children, parents, and others in the community were also necessary. The analysis revealed that these teachers believed that "becoming a teacher" was not just an individual achievement, but rather was socially achieved within social interactions. These results suggest a concept of learning that includes both individualistic achievement and socially constructed achievement.