Balanced Artistry: Describing and Explaining Expert Teacher Practice as Adaptive Expertise

221 Pages·2015·4.05 MB·English

University of South Florida
Scholar Commons
Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School
4-9-2014
Balanced Artistry: Describing and Explaining
Expert Teacher Practice as Adaptive Expertise
Nina Graham
University of South Florida, [email protected]
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Graham, Nina, "Balanced Artistry: Describing and Explaining Expert Teacher Practice as Adaptive Expertise" (2014).Graduate Theses
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https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/5027
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Balanced Artistry: Describing and Explaining Expert Teacher Practice as Adaptive Expertise

by

Nina Graham

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Department of Secondary Education
College of Education
University of South Florida

Co-Major Professor: Jane Applegate, Ph.D.
Co-Major Professor: Diane Yendol-Hoppey, Ph.D.
Pat Jones, Ph.D.
Patricia Alvarez McHatton, Ph.D.

Date of Approval:
April 9, 2014

Keywords: English language arts, narrative inquiry, Cognitive Task Analysis, critical decision
method

Copyright © 2014, Nina Graham
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work was possible through the support of my personal and professional families.
Personally, my husband Brad was my continual encourager through each phase of this journey.
This accomplishment is as much his as mine. Also, through this process I feel I have matured at
the hands of the Lord through His careful, peaceful leading within the many nuanced steps of
completing the doctoral program. Professionally, the ladies forming my doctoral committee have
been more than advisors, but mentors. Their thoughtful counsel helped me feel capable
throughout the many phases of becoming a researcher and scholar, yet they offered insight
always with attention to the aspects of life that keep us whole outside of our work.
TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................................... v

LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... vii

ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................. viii

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1
Background of the Study .................................................................................................... 2
Measuring Expertise ............................................................................................... 4
Purpose of the Study ........................................................................................................... 7
Context of the Study ........................................................................................................... 7
Overview of Conceptual Framework .................................................................................. 8
Research Questions ............................................................................................................. 9
Significance of the Study .................................................................................................... 9
Definition of Terms ........................................................................................................... 10
Overview of Methodology ................................................................................................ 11
Assumptions ...................................................................................................................... 12
Limitations ........................................................................................................................ 13
Chapter Summary ............................................................................................................. 14

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................... 16
Adaptiveness in Instruction ............................................................................................... 19
Reflective Adaptation within Routine Application ............................................... 20
Reflective Adaptation within Pattern Recognition ............................................... 21
Reflective Adaptation through Dynamic Understanding ...................................... 23
Adaptive Expertise to Advance Understanding ................................................................ 24
Adaptive Expertise and Routine Expertise ........................................................... 25
Wineburg’s Work .................................................................................................. 26
Crawford’s Work .................................................................................................. 27
Conceptual Framework ..................................................................................................... 30
Adaptability ........................................................................................................... 30
Efficiency .............................................................................................................. 32
Balance of Adaptability and Efficiency ................................................................ 33
Chapter Summary ............................................................................................................. 36

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODS ........................................................................... 38
Theoretical Perspective: Interpretivism ............................................................................ 38
Epistemological Stance: Constructivism .......................................................................... 39
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Adaptive Balance in Theory and Epistemology ............................................................... 40
Methodological Framework .............................................................................................. 40
Narrative Inquiry ................................................................................................... 41
Research Questions ............................................................................................... 41
Participant Selection ............................................................................................. 42
First steps .................................................................................................. 43
National Board Certification ......................................................... 43
Proposition one: teachers are committed to
students and their learning ...................................................... 45
Proposition two: teachers know the subjects they
teach and how to teach those subjects to students .................. 45
Proposition three: teachers are responsible for managing
and monitoring student learning ............................................. 45
Proposition four: teachers think systematically
about their practice and learn from experience ....................... 46
Proposition five: teachers are members of learning
communities ............................................................................ 46
Years of experience ....................................................................... 47
Initial search .............................................................................................. 47
Next steps in participant search ................................................................ 49
National Board Certification additions ......................................... 49
Advanced training additions ......................................................... 50
Location reconsideration ............................................................... 50
Data collection reconsidered ......................................................... 50
Second search ............................................................................................ 51
Placing Teacher Narratives ................................................................................... 53
Adele ......................................................................................................... 53
Curricular shifts ............................................................................ 53
Administrative oversight ............................................................... 54
Collegial connections .................................................................... 56
Ongoing optimism ........................................................................ 56
Bethany ..................................................................................................... 57
Relational focus ............................................................................ 57
Instructional through-line .............................................................. 58
Contrasting environments ............................................................. 59
My place as the researcher ........................................................................ 61
Data Collection ..................................................................................................... 63
Cognitive Task Analysis: Cognitive Task Analysis ................................. 64
Step one: identify incident ............................................................ 66
Step two: recount incident ............................................................ 66
Step three: develop timeline .......................................................... 66
Step four: identify decisions ......................................................... 67
Step five: probe for specifics ........................................................ 68
Classroom recordings ................................................................................ 69
Interview transcripts .................................................................................. 71
Screening questionnaire ............................................................................ 71
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Researcher reflective memos .................................................................... 72
Data Analysis ........................................................................................................ 73
Placing the narratives ................................................................................ 73
Pictures of adaptive expertise ................................................................... 74
Stories of adaptive expertise ..................................................................... 78
Protection of Participants ...................................................................................... 80
Credibility ............................................................................................................. 80
Coherence ................................................................................................. 81
Consensus ................................................................................................. 81
Instrumental utility .................................................................................... 82
Chapter Summary ............................................................................................................. 83

CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS .................................................................................................... 84
Reasoning and Reasoning Processes: Decision Points ..................................................... 84
Adele: Lesson One ................................................................................................ 86
Adele: Lesson Two ............................................................................................... 88
Adele: Lesson Three ............................................................................................. 90
Bethany: Lesson One ............................................................................................ 91
Bethany: Lesson Two ........................................................................................... 93
Bethany: Lesson Three ......................................................................................... 95
Analysis and Interpretation of Decision Points ................................................................ 96
Alignment with Adaptive Expertise: Balanced Action ..................................................... 98
Adele ..................................................................................................................... 99
Content confidence across curriculum ...................................................... 99
Procedural guideposts to meaning: routinely adaptive ........................... 103
Simplify through “why” .......................................................................... 104
Affective understanding .......................................................................... 106
Bethany ............................................................................................................... 107
Content confidence ................................................................................. 107
Reflective routines .................................................................................. 109
Affective understanding .......................................................................... 111
Analysis and Interpretation of Balanced Action ............................................................. 112
Credibility ....................................................................................................................... 115
Coherence ........................................................................................................... 115
Consensus ........................................................................................................... 115
Instrument Utility ................................................................................................ 116
Chapter Summary ........................................................................................................... 116

CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION ............................................................................................... 118
Study Summary ............................................................................................................... 119
Research Question #1 ......................................................................................... 121
Theme 1: Efficiency within adaptive reasoning ..................................... 121
Theme 2: Student response as catalyst for instructional decisions ......... 123
Theme 3: Learning within and beyond the classroom ............................ 125
Research Question #2 ......................................................................................... 125
Theme 1: Balance via content confidence .............................................. 126
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Theme 2: Balance through simplification via justification ..................... 127
Theme 3: Balance through affective understanding ............................... 128
Summary of Discussion of Research Questions ................................................. 129
My Placement in the Research ........................................................................................ 132
Significance of Study ...................................................................................................... 133
Balance equals routinely adaptive .......................................................... 134
Balance equals instructional rationale .................................................... 134
Implications ..................................................................................................................... 135
Implications for Secondary Classrooms ............................................................. 135
Professional conversation and development ........................................... 135
Peer connection ....................................................................................... 136
Professional assessment .......................................................................... 136
Implications for Teacher Education .................................................................... 137
Implications for Future Research ........................................................................ 138
Research on the relationship between simplification and adaptive
instruction. .............................................................................................. 138
Research on the nature of content confidence in adaptive expertise ...... 138
Research on the role of affective understanding in adaptive expertise. .. 140
Other research implications .................................................................... 140
Lingering Questions ........................................................................................................ 140
Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 141

REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 143

APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................ 149
Appendix A: Teacher Participant Informed Consent ...................................................... 150
Appendix B: Parental Permission Form ......................................................................... 156
Appendix C: Student Assent Form ................................................................................. 161
Appendix D: Adele - Interview 1 Data Analysis Notes .................................................. 163
Appendix E: Adele - Interview 2 Data Analysis Notes .................................................. 173
Appendix F: Adele - Interview 3 Data Analysis Notes .................................................. 178
Appendix G: Bethany - Interview 1 Data Analysis Notes .............................................. 186
Appendix H: Bethany - Interview 2 Data Analysis Notes .............................................. 198
Appendix I: Bethany - Interview 3 Data Analysis Notes ............................................... 205
Appendix J: Internal Review Board Approval ................................................................ 209

iv
LIST OF TABLES

Table 2.1: Literature Relevant to Studying Adaptive Expertise .................................................. 17

Table 2.2: Alignment between Crawford et al. (2005), Wineburg (1998), and
Reflection .............................................................................................................. 29

Table 3.1: Alignment between Adaptive Reasoning, Teacher Expertise,
and National Board Core Propositions ................................................................. 44

Table 3.2: Critical-Decision Method Application ........................................................................ 66

Table 3.3: Example Decisions ...................................................................................................... 68

Table 3.4: Probing Questions ....................................................................................................... 69

Table 3.5: Operation Coding Chart .............................................................................................. 77

Table 4.1: Operation Codes Noted in Teacher Narratives ............................................................ 86

Table 4.2: Adele - Lesson One Expert Action Summary ............................................................. 86

Table 4.3: Adele - Lesson Two Expert Action Summary ............................................................ 89

Table 4.4: Adele - Lesson Three Expert Action Summary .......................................................... 91

Table 4.5: Bethany - Lesson One Expert Action Summary ......................................................... 92

Table 4.6: Bethany - Lesson Two Expert Action Summary ........................................................ 94

Table 4.7: Bethany - Lesson Three Expert Action Summary ...................................................... 95

Table 4.8: Adele - Summary of Balanced Action: Content Confidence .................................... 103

Table 4.9: Adele - Summary of Balanced Action: Routinely Adaptive .................................... 104

Table 4.10: Adele - Summary of Balanced Action: Simplification ............................................ 106

Table 4.11: Adele - Summary of Balanced Action: Affective Understanding ........................... 107

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Table 4.12: Bethany - Summary of Balanced Action: Content Confidence ............................... 108

Table 4.13: Bethany - Summary of Balanced Action: Reflective Routines ............................... 110

Table 4.14:Bethany - Summary of Balanced Action: Affective Understanding ........................ 112

Table 5.1: Themes and Implications of Findings ........................................................................ 139

Table D1: Adele Interview I Coding and Memos ....................................................................... 163

Table E1: Adele Interview 2 Coding and Memos ...................................................................... 173

Table F1. Adele Interview 3 Coding and Memos ....................................................................... 178

Table G1. Bethany Interview 1 Coding and Memos .................................................................. 186

Table H1. Bethany Interview 2 Coding and Memos .................................................................. 198

Table I1. Bethany Interview 3 Coding and Memos .................................................................... 205

vi
LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2.1: Schwartz et al. (2005) Optimal Adaptability Corridor to explain the balance of
efficiency and innovation (adaptability) in adaptive expertise. .................................. 34

Figure 4.1: Adele - Lesson One Timeline of Efficient and Adaptive Decisions .......................... 87

Figure 4.2: Adele - Lesson Two Timeline of Efficient and Adaptive Decisions ......................... 89

Figure 4.3: Adele - Lesson Three Timeline of Efficient and Adaptive Decisions ....................... 90

Figure 4.4: Bethany - Lesson One Timeline of Efficient and Adaptive Decisions ...................... 92

Figure 4.5: Bethany - Lesson Two Timeline of Efficient and Adaptive Decisions ...................... 94

Figure 4.6: Bethany - Lesson Three Timeline of Efficient and Adaptive Decisions .................... 95

Figure 4.7: Adele - Illustration of the balance of efficiency and adaptability ........................... 100

Figure 4.8: Bethany – Illustration of the balance of efficiency and adaptability ........................ 101

Figure 5.1: Illustrations of how findings contribute to advancements in understanding
adaptive expertise ...................................................................................................... 131

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