ERIC Number: ED568435
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 114
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 978-1-3038-5636-5
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Living the Dream: The Lived Experience of an English Language Arts Professional Learning Community at a College Preparatory Boarding School for Underserved Youth
Worth, Kim A.
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Northeastern University
Teachers working in schools where the majority of the population is underserved students often feel a sense of helplessness. The purpose of the study is to uncover the lived experience of a small group of English Language Arts teachers working in such an environment. Specifically, the purpose is to determine if working within an effective Professional Learning Community (PLC) can help to build individual and collective teacher efficacy. There are eight participants in this study ranging in teaching experience from two to eight years. This research study utilized a phenomenological methodology. This research study found that the single most important factor of the PLC in terms of helping to build a sense of efficacy was the importance of belonging to a team. Based on this small study there are implications for schools that serve underserved students. Among them would be the importance of building effective PLCs in which teachers feel a sense of belonging to a team in order to offset any feelings of helplessness that serving a challenging population can create. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: English, Language Arts, English Teachers, Phenomenology, Communities of Practice, Teacher Effectiveness, Teaching Experience, Boarding Schools, Disadvantaged Youth, Faculty Development
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A