1. A Teacher's Dilemma in Creating a Democratic and Socially Just Classroom
- Author
-
Um, Su Jung
- Abstract
This qualitative case study aims to understand teaching experiences of a recent graduate of a social justice-oriented program in the U.S. It examines what dilemma(s) the teacher reports and how she copes with them. In-depth interviews and document collections are used as the means of data construction. Thematic and dialogic/performance analysis methods are utilized for data analysis. The analysis of the teacher's case demonstrates that the competing discourses circulating in the school produce significantly different ideas of what a "good" teacher is and does; the differences constituted through the discourses create contradictions affecting the teacher's lived experiences. The teacher reports her struggle to become a critical and, yet, unbiased teacher. It also shows that the teacher deals with the dilemma by re-interpreting the discourses that she finds limiting. This study confirms and, yet, extends the exiting body of research as it sheds lights on how the teachers' experiences are shaped by and, simultaneously, re-frame the discourses surrounding her. Future directions for research and practice are discussed.
- Published
- 2019