Anica Miller-Rushing, a candidate for Doctor of Philosophy in STEM Education, will be defending her dissertation titled, “Agency of In-Service Elementary Science Teachers During a Global Pandemic.”
Zoom meeting: for the Zoom link and password, please contact Anica at anica.miller.rushing@maine.edu.
Abstract
In-service teachers of science work with unique content and pedagogical experiences. Understanding teacher agency in these circumstances will help researchers understand the actions that these teachers take, actions that are consequential for shaping teacher patterns and establishing the scientific practices of students. The purpose of this study was to understand how the agency of six elementary (K-5) in-service teachers was expressed discursively during a global pandemic. The teachers’ agency was qualitatively analyzed through a case study approach (Yin, 2012, 2017) using discourse analysis that identified the ways in which science teacher agency is conceptualized, afforded, and constrained through consequential saying, being, and doing (Gee, 2010) within elementary classrooms. I found that elementary science teachers conceptualize and operationalize their agency in service to the student, thus, deprioritizing their own needs as teaching professionals. The teachers have a clear sense of agency, primarily framed through a structure-agency dialectic, the scale of expression is their classroom. I also found that centering teacher voice during the research process increased teachers’ reflexivity about their professional agency. Recommendations are addressed.
Committee Members
Beth Hufnagel, chair
Rebecca Buchanan
Jade McNamara
Gail Richmond
Asli Sezen-Barrie
