Experienced Teachers' Perceptions of the Influences on their Teaching: An Ethnographic Study

Abstract

Why do teachers teach as they do? Is it because of personal and idiosyncratic reasons, or are they constrained to some extent by factors in the workplace? The literature is divided on this issue. Zeichner and Gore (1990) report that teachers have been portrayed as 'prisoners of their past' through the documented effects of anticipatory socialisation, or alternatively, 'prisoners of the present' through pressures they experience at the workplace. Similarly, studies such as Clandinin (1985) or Nias (1987, 1988) present teachers as active practitioners. This thesis poses the hypothesis that a middle ground exists between portraying teachers as wholly constrained by structural and situational factors in their work, or, that teachers have complete autonomy to practice their preferred pedagogy. In pursuing this question, eight experienced teachers from two different school contexts were selected to provide the data for this discussion. An ethnographic approach was taken for data collection. Three methods were used. First, classroom observations of the teachers, with pre-and post-observation conferences were made. Second, school documents were collected and analysed to provide background information about the school contexts and the work situations of the teachers. Third, each teacher underwent several extended personal interviews in order to collect biographical details and information regarding their personal views of the influences on their teaching.