Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to understand how four middle school teachers in an urban area in the south experienced and made sense of the transition from teaching in a predominantly teacher-centered learning (TCL) environment to one that was a predominantly student-centered learning (SCL) environment in relation to the shared culture of the classroom (Quinn, 2005). Three interviews were conducted with each participant. Analysis included in vivo and emotion coding alongside the creation of narratives for each participant. Emotion coding yielded the following categories of data: sadness and joy from the K-12 experience, confident and challenged from the college years, assertive and overwhelmed from the transition toward SCL, and undermined and passionate from teaching during the COVID era. In vivo coding pointed to discussions of success and achievement, fear and frustration, resisting change, and focusing on students.
Four themes were prominent in the narratives: (1) Participants needed clarity on daily routines, expectations of roles and learning, and support from a variety of sources to be successful and believe in themselves when changing instructional styles. (2) The education system is grounded in expectations from parents, teachers, and students that participants believed created pressure on them to use specific instructional styles and behave in a certain way. (3) Participants believed that nonacademic skills were an important part of the K-12 student experience and should be emphasized alongside academic content skills. (4) The culture of the classroom was an important part the connection that participants shared with their students and impacted the instructional choices participants made every day.
Keywords: culture of the classroom, hidden curriculum, student-centered learning, teacher-centered learning