professional identity pathways of educators in alternative schools: the utility of reflective...

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Professional identity pathways ofeducators in alternative schools: theutility of reflective practice groups foreducator induction and professionallearningAnn Morgan a , Raymond Brown a , Deborah Heck b , DonnaPendergast a & Harry Kanasa aa School of Education and Professional Studies , Griffith University,Gold Coast Campus , Gold Coast, Australiab Discipline of Education , University of the Sunshine Coast, SippyDowns , AustraliaPublished online: 19 Dec 2012.

To cite this article: Ann Morgan , Raymond Brown , Deborah Heck , Donna Pendergast &Harry Kanasa (2013) Professional identity pathways of educators in alternative schools:the utility of reflective practice groups for educator induction and professional learning,Reflective Practice: International and Multidisciplinary Perspectives, 14:2, 258-270, DOI:10.1080/14623943.2012.749227

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Professional identity pathways of educators in alternative schools:the utility of reflective practice groups for educator induction andprofessional learning

Ann Morgana*, Raymond Browna, Deborah Heckb, Donna Pendergasta and HarryKanasaa

aSchool of Education and Professional Studies, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus,Gold Coast, Australia; bDiscipline of Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, SippyDowns, Australia

(Received 23 February 2012; final version received 9 November 2012)

Working with young people in alternative schools poses particular challengesfor the professional identity of educators. This research explored educatoridentity and development in practice in a network of alternative schoolsre-enfranchising young people. There was a focus on educator induction in thestudy. Different ways of being an educator were required in order to re-engageyoung people facing multiple complexities in their lives. A three-stage designexperiment methodology was employed to investigate how ways of working,valuing and professional learning influenced educator identity and development.Iterative cycles of reflection embedded in the methodology allowed practitio-ners’ perspectives to influence the design of enhanced induction processes,leading to the prototyping of reflective practice groups as an induction strategy.Findings provide insights into the influence of reflective practice on educatoridentity and development in relation to two overarching themes synthesised inthematic analysis of interview data: relationships, and changing perspectivesthrough reflection.

Keywords: professional identity; professional learning; reflective practice;multidisciplinary practice; alternative schools

Introduction

Alternative education offers pathways for young people for whom access to conven-tional education is limited due to multiple complex factors. In Australia and interna-tionally the practices and outcomes of alternative education as a sector and as afield of research are somewhat inconsistent and sporadic (te Riele, 2012). Researchin the field has focused on program features, participants and attempts to developtypologies of alternative education, given the wide diversity of program aims andphilosophies within this sector (Aron, 2006). Minimal research has been conductedon educator identity or the role of reflective practice for professional learning inmultidisciplinary alternative schools.

The research project reported in this paper was situated in a system of fivealternative schools, each catering for small numbers of between 50 and 80 young

*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]

Reflective Practice, 2013Vol. 14, No. 2, 258–270, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2012.749227

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people, supported by a range of multidisciplinary educators including teachers,educational support workers, youth workers, social workers and a range of otherworkers, for example, music workers. Multidisciplinary practice and collaborationbetween educators is necessary in alternative schools to support the development ofpositive educational pathways to re-enfranchise young people (Edwards, 2004). Tobe an effective educator in alternative schools, self-awareness, excellent interper-sonal skills and awareness of the complex needs of young people are especiallynecessary (de Jong & Griffiths, 2006).

Professional identity and professional learning

How professionals view themselves and the factors that influence this self-percep-tion is referred to as professional identity (Beijaard, Verloop, & Vermunt, 2000). Inthis study, professional identity is understood from a socio-cultural perspective thattakes into account the social, cultural and historical aspects of identity formation. Asocio-cultural lens for understanding identity privileges the negotiation of identitythrough social participation, contrasting with identity formation as starting with theindividual and emphasising psychological and cognitive processes (Penuel &Wertsch, 1995). As identity is not a fixed construct, cultural self-identity formationis ongoing (Sachs, 2001) and constantly re-negotiated in relationships with others(Gee, 2001; Wenger, 1998). It is storied in the narratives that people share witheach other (Sfard & Prusak, 2005), and in their engagement with the ‘Discourses’that capture meanings attributed to social practices (Gee, 1992). Identity formationis not passive as people continually act on the world around them (Lasky, 2005) toreflect on and actively negotiate their social and professional identities (Sfard &Prusak, 2005), their ways of being and becoming (Wenger, 1998).

Professional learning is understood here from a socio-cultural perspective influ-enced by Wenger’s social theory of learning (1998), focusing on social participationas a way of learning, integrating the four components of community, practice,meaning and identity. This paper emphasises identity as learning through social par-ticipation which shaped the prototyping of Reflective Practice Groups (RPGs) foreducator induction and professional learning.

Reflective practice in alternative schools

The processes and activities of reflective practice in multidisciplinary alternativeschools are not clearly defined, widely understood nor consistently experienced byeducators and other professionals (Cox, 2005; Russell, 2005). An extensive review ofthe literature revealed no significant body of research on reflective practice in alterna-tive schools. Hence, whilst the significance of reflective practice as an integral aspectof identity work for teachers in general (Walkington, 2005), and for social workers oramongst health practitioners is clearly established (Fook, White, & Gardner, 2006), itis an area requiring further research in relation to alternative schools.

Within the multidisciplinary context of alternative schools, reflective practice wasimportant for enhancing educator induction into the ideas and practices involved inworking to enfranchise young people. The approach adopted within the study is con-sistent with the tradition of reflective practice that emphasises social inclusion andsocial change (Frost, 2010). It supports the development of ‘critical awareness andemotional insight alongside self-knowledge and deepening understanding of the

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other’ (West, 2010, p. 66). This awareness influences educators’ capacity to respondpositively and proactively rather than reactively to young people.

Methodology

Design

The research methodology involved a three-stage Design Experiment comprisingexploration, enactment and evaluation, drawing on Bannan-Ritland’s model (2003).In design experiments, iterative cycles of reflection with data or understandings col-lected in one stage are used to influence the design of the next stage. Further reflec-tion and collaboration with participants is an essential element of design research(Collins, Joseph, & Bielaczyc, 2004).

Data collection and participants

Data referred to in this paper were gathered across the three stages of the designexperiment using four separate data collection methods. Table 1 outlines the threestages of the design experiment in terms of data collection methods, recruitmentprocesses and participant details.

Data collected in the exploration stage (questionnaire and interview data) wereused to influence the design of enhanced educator induction in the enactment stage.A group consultation process for member checking was conducted, creating aniterative cycle of reflection, a feature of design experiments. Five voluntaryeducators including the researcher, all of whom worked in alternative schools in

Table 1. Design experiment stages with corresponding data collection methods, participantrecruitment and participant details.

Designexperiment

Data collectionmethods

Participantrecruitment processes Participant details

Stage One:Exploration

Questionnaire All educators acrossthe alternativeschools were invitedto participate

n = 80Response rate 37.5%:37% male, 63% female10 different educatorroles

Interviews General invitationgiven to all educatorsto participate

Volunteer participantsn = 16 (20% of staff):44% male, 56% female,69% teachers, 31% otherroles (other roles weremainly from communityservice sector)

Stage Two:Enactment

Researcher journalentries from RPGs

Researcher No other participants

Stage Three:Evaluation

Written evaluationsfrom RPGs

All educators whowere new to fivealternative schoolsites were invited toparticipate. Writtenevaluations completedby participants afterthe first two sessions

n = 2045% male, 55% female,60% teachers, 40% otherroles

260 A. Morgan et al.

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different roles, gathered for a day and were presented with interview data abouteducator perceptions of induction needs. Through conversation they prioritisedthemes that were identified in interview data for induction of educators. The firstthree prioritised themes and their working definitions are presented in Table 2,arranged in descending order from highest to lowest. Following recommendationsfrom the consultation group, a series of RPGs were implemented across five sites,with the aim of enhancing educator induction in 2010.

RPGs met three times during this period, for sessions of approximately one anda half to two hours. These sessions were initiated and co-facilitated by the firstauthor, with an education background, and a colleague in a staff support role fromthe network of alternative schools with a psychology and counselling background.During this stage, researcher journal entries were written by the first author on theexperience of co-facilitating the RPGs (n = 13).

Evaluation stage data consisted of written evaluations voluntarily completed byparticipants in RPGs (n = 20) after the first two sessions. The two RPG datasetswere analysed in relation to findings from the exploration stage data analysis.

Data analysis

Using thematic content analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), a coding scheme wasdeveloped and applied to all interviews. A second researcher acting as a criticalfriend (Carr & Kemmis, 1986), assisted with the development of the initial codingscheme providing inter-rater reliability. The process of thematic analysis was moredeductive than inductive (Moen, 2006), being driven by the foci of the researchquestions and the domains of practice that were explored, namely, ways of working(with young people and with staff), ways of valuing and ways of professional learn-ing. It was also influenced by the features of best practice in alternative educationidentified in the literature review. After coding, the interview data were collated intocoded datasets. The framework developed from this analysis formed the basis forthe second level of analysis, a thematic network analysis (Attride-Stirling, 2001). Ineach coded dataset three levels of themes were identified including the most ‘basicthemes’ or key ideas, ‘organising themes’ or common threads drawing together anumber of key ideas, and then ‘global themes’ or strands of common threads acrossall the sets of coded data for each domain of practice (Attride-Stirling, 2001,

Table 2. Themes for induction with definitions.

Priority Themes for induction with definitions

1 The young person:Young people’s stories and needs are complex, impacted by social, economic,cultural and historical factors of multiple exclusion. Appreciating andunderstanding this complexity and how it impacts on young people is essential forall educators in the research context.

2 Personal ReflectionThe capacity to be reflective and aware of one’s own values, beliefs, emotions andassumptions regarding the nature of education and how these interact with theyoung people and their families/carers in the alternative schools.

3 Critical reflection on professional practiceThe processes of reviewing one’s experience and practice, both individually andcollectively with colleagues, considering relationships with others in the social,cultural and historical aspects of the work context.


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p. 388). Finally, strands of common threads across all three domains of practicewere compared and analysed thematically, and three overarching themes acrossthese strands were identified. These overarching themes included: relationships;changing perspectives through reflection; and holding complexity. This paper willfocus on the first two of these themes, with the third, holding complexity, thesubject of a separate publication.

The three overarching themes were then used to undertake a thematic contentanalysis of the RPG data to identify whether the themes were also evident in thisdataset. The overarching themes of relationships and changing perspectives throughreflection will now be discussed in relation to RPG data. A brief explanation of thetwo overarching themes will provide the necessary context for analysing the RPGdata.

Theme 1: relationships

In interview data the theme of relationships was consistently privileged in alldomains of practice, including ways of working, valuing and professional learning.Relationships were influenced significantly by the operation by principles adoptedwhere educators and young people alike agreed to work within the four principlesof respect, participation, safe and legal, and honesty. These principles guided allrelationships and democratised the learning space as educators and young peopledeveloped safe, supportive relationships in which the dignity and value of everyperson was acknowledged.

Theme 2: changing perspectives through reflection

Educators’ perspectives were changed through engaging with young people whoselife experiences and resilience were inspiring and challenging. Educators developeda deepened understanding of young people and reconsidered traditional notions ofthe nature and purpose of education. This supported educators to move away fromtendencies to blame young people and to be open to interrogate their own practicethrough critical reflection. Working within a multidisciplinary practice frameworkrequired a change in educators’ perspective. Many recognised that the skills devel-oped through university education and experience in conventional education settingshad to be expanded, developed and redefined.

Findings from the analysis of two datasets from RPG sessions will now be pre-sented and discussed in relation to the two overarching themes described above.These datasets include RPG participants’ written evaluations of sessions andresearcher journal entries reflecting on the experience of co-facilitating RPGs.

Findings: participants’ written evaluations of sessions

Written evaluations of RPG sessions captured feedback on the relevance of activi-ties in the sessions, informing facilitators’ planning for subsequent sessions. Thefeedback comments also provided insights into educator identity and developmentin practice. In the written evaluations of RPG sessions, using a five-point Likertscale participants were asked how they rated the activities in the first two sessions,with 1 being ‘of no relevance’ and 5 being ‘highly relevant’. Table 3 provides asummary of the results.


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The majority of participants rated the activities as relevant or highly relevant fortheir work with young people. In summary, the mean rating for the relevance of allactivities associated with the first two RPG sessions was 4.4. The response rate ofwritten evaluations during the first two sessions was 81%. As well as rating activi-ties and sessions on a five-point Likert scale, participants were asked to write shortopen responses to a number of questions. Thematic content analysis was applied tothese short open responses to determine whether the overarching themes of relation-ships and changing perspectives through reflection, were evident in the data.

Theme 1 in written evaluations: relationships

The comments from written evaluations indicated that most participants felt the ses-sions were a valuable opportunity to understand themselves more and to developrelationships with colleagues. Most comments about the sessions had a positive toneand were consistent with the generally high level of satisfaction that was expressedin the Likert scale ratings regarding the relevance of RPG activities.

RPG activities incorporated storytelling, exploring values and identity meta-phors. Storytelling activities required educators to relate their own experiences ofwhat drew them into this work. The activities using values cards encouraged dia-logue and finding common ground on shared values related to the work with youngpeople. The metaphor exercise made use of a series of metaphor cards expressingaspects of educator identity through drawings with accompanying explanations. Thesignificance of metaphors in identity work has been highlighted (Bullough &Stokes, 1994; Saban, 2006). The metaphors of educator identity were generated inquestionnaire data when educators were asked to describe how they saw themselvesas an educator. Analysis of all metaphors in relation to overarching themes showedthat relationships was the most commonly represented theme in metaphorsexpressing aspects of educator identity.

Table 3. Summary of results from two reflective practice group written evaluations.

Session 1 Question and promptsMean rating(scale of 1–5)

Meaning attachedto scale⁄

Please tell us how relevant the activities were for you todayPurpose of reflective practice group – sharing yourunderstanding/ experiences

4.6 highly relevant

Sharing personal stories exercise 4.3 relevantValues cards – what is important to you in thework?

4.7 highly relevant

Metaphor cards – how you see yourself as a worker 4.5 highly relevantTools for reflective practice 3.9 relevantOverall relevance of today’s session for you 3.2 indifferent

Session 2 Question and prompts Mean rating(scale of 1–5)

Meaning attachedto scale⁄

Sharing your current emotional/physical state 4.4 highly relevantReflective conversation on practice 4.5 highly relevantReflective drawing exploring challenging issues ofpractice

4.8 highly relevant

Review of metaphor cards 4.2 highly relevantOverall relevance of today’s session for you 3.8 relevant

Notes: ⁄Scale: 1 = of no relevance; 2 = little relevance; 3 = indifferent; 4 = relevant; 5 = highly relevant.


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One participant commented on the metaphor exercise being particularly relevantfor them, stating that it ‘enabled me to reflect on my journey with [my school site]to date’ (RPG, Feb 2010, Q1K). In relation to the values cards activity, a participantcommented on how this exercise was a ‘great reflective point for myself and withinthe school’ (RPG, Feb 2010, Q1H). The activity also helped a participant to remem-ber what was important in their work and their ‘passion for the young people’(RPG, Feb 2010, Q1J) and another participant related that it was ‘really importantfor someone new to the organisation’ (RPG, Feb 2010, Q1F).

These RPG data extracts reflect the themes of relationships and capture a sensethat participants valued opportunities provided in RPG sessions to focus on devel-oping relationships with colleagues and to reflect on their relationships with youngpeople. Interview data analysis indicated that prioritising relationships with youngpeople and colleagues influenced educator identity in practice and was evident inthe shift in educator identity in practice towards valuing productive relationships inteams, creating a supportive culture in which people felt safe to ask for support andoffer support.

Theme 2 in written evaluations: changing perspectives through reflection

The activities in RPG sessions were designed to support staff to develop a widerrange of skills and strategies for reflection, and to consider the challenging aspectsof practice. Creative exercises such as reflective drawing were perceived as some-thing worthwhile by those who completed this activity. One participant stated that‘It was great to express through drawing as it’s something I hardly ever take thetime to do’ (RPG, May 2010, Q1I). This sentiment was reiterated by another partic-ipant who said that the most useful or relevant activity was the ‘reflective drawingbecause it helped me look at a situation from a number of different angles’ (RPG,May 2010, Q1K). In a similar fashion, another response was that ‘the drawingactivity brings aspects of current situations into new light’ (RPG, May 2010, Q1L).Another participant stated that reflective drawing ‘was interesting and helped me toremember to breathe and stop and recall how much debriefing with staff on a dailybasis is amazing’ (RPG May 2010, Q4F). The strategy of exploring and understand-ing feelings related to the work was appreciated by another participant who saidthat ‘I found that the drawing expressed feelings at the time and how I feel inregards to work’ (RPG, May 2010, Q4A).

Interview data analysis indicated that critical reflection on practice supportededucators as they changed perspectives regarding their practice, as they began tosee a bigger picture and develop another view. This implies a shift in educatoridentity and development in practice. RPG participant responses are indicative of asimilar shift towards changing perspectives through reflection.

In the responses from Session Two written evaluations, one-third of theparticipants acknowledged the value of the reflective conversations that enabledconsideration of challenging issues of practice. For example, a participant said thatwhat was of most value was:

The reflective conversation. One worker initiated the discussion, which then swelledinto a full and fleshed out sharing about some challenges we are feeling being new.[The facilitators] guided the conversation very safely, with great insights drawn outthat were helpful. (RPG May 2010, Q1B)


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Another response mentioned that it was ‘good to voice issues of concern’ (RPG,May 2010, Q1C) whilst another mentioned that ‘the opportunity to share in a safespace, to be heard, validated and treated as a professional’ was useful for them(RPG, May 2010, Q1F). In another site, an issue of concern that was discussedrelated to work/life balance, with one participant commenting on the usefulness of‘conversation around separating home and work life’ (RPG, May 2010, Q1H).

These responses indicated some evidence of educators being able to be honestabout challenges, struggles and difficulties when supported by productive relation-ships among colleagues. This shift in educator identity was evident in interviewdata analysis and links to the theme of changing perspectives through reflection.Another shift towards more active self-care through regularly engaging with a widevariety of support mechanisms such as reflective practice, rather than only accessingsupport for crisis management, was also evident. In RPG written evaluations, someeducators described the positive support they experienced in the sessions. This mayindicate some potential for RPGs as a source of educator support for challengingissues of practice, and a reflective space in which new understandings and otherperspectives can be fostered.

Findings: researcher journal entries

The data collection method in the enactment stage was the journal entries on theexperience of co-facilitating RPGs. At the completion of each session (n = 13)the researcher wrote a journal entry reflecting on the experience of facilitating thegroup, taking note of participant responses, types of issues discussed and generalinsights gained. These data are now discussed in relation to the two overarchingthemes of relationships and changing perspectives through reflection.

Theme 1 in researcher journal entries: relationships

The theme of relationships was echoed in RPG discussions, both as challenges toand highlights of practice. Ways of working with educators that emphasised multi-disciplinary practice and the importance of supportive relationships were generallyevident in RPG processes through the ways educators interacted with each other.Ways of valuing emphasising relationships and democratic values such as respect,participation, safety, caring and community were echoed in RPGs as educatorsexplored the values that underpinned their work and as they engaged with eachother in discussions and activities about some of the challenging issues of practicewith young people.

The small group contexts provided spaces for developing relationships withother educators and opportunities to learn from colleagues as they discussed aspectsof practice. A conversation with the co-facilitator following one RPG session,captured in a researcher journal entry, called attention to the valuable ‘opportunitiesfor professional learning and sharing of wisdom that can happen in a group setting’(Researcher journal, Site 5 Session1).

In RPGs learning in and through relationships also included reflection on rela-tionships with young people. As educators considered their daily practice the per-spectives and responses of young people informed the educators. The complexity ofthe needs of the young people at alternative schools required that educators whomay have experienced success and efficacy in their work with young people in


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other more conventional education contexts, had to re-evaluate how they workedwith young people in alternative schools based on understanding the young peopleand being responsive to their complex needs. The process of finding another view-point regarding how they engaged with the young people and how they exploredcurriculum offerings that were relevant, flexible and meaningful in a broad sensefor the lives of the young people with whom they were working, took time andrequired a shift in how they perceived themselves as educators. It required prioritis-ing relational pedagogy above curriculum delivery. Educator identities that had beenshaped by traditional educator discourse were challenged and changed through therelationships with young people.

The agency of the young people, their capacity to resist mainstream practices of teachersin an alternative school setting actually changes the social context. The learners impacton their social world through their resistance and through the willingness of staff toreflect and interrogate their assumptions/ expectations of young people in their practiceand their own sense of professional identity. (Researcher journal, Site 3, Session 3)

Theme 2 in researcher journal entries: changing perspectives through reflection

The storytelling, values and metaphor activities supported enhanced self-awarenessin relation to the educator identity of participants. Engaging in these activitiesshowed that ‘people were very clear about how they saw themselves as workersand how this connected with the values that were important to them’ (Researcherjournal, Site 5, Session 1). An added dimension of doing this work in the contextof a group was the interesting dynamic of ‘the interplay and feedback from otherworkers and how they viewed the person [who was sharing]. This was affirmingand provided another insight or view into a situation, or the character of theworker’ (Researcher journal, Site 1, Session 3).

As educators explored their educator identity through the metaphor and valuesactivities, deeper insights into understanding the needs of this cohort of young peo-ple were developed in some educators. The importance of learning in and throughrelationships and prioritising relational pedagogy with young people was empha-sised through certain metaphors that were chosen. For example, one worker chosethe metaphor of a horse whisperer. This metaphor exemplified respect for the horse,not working with force but through ‘gentle coaxing rather than moving into thehorse’s space’, inviting connection through establishing a trusting relationship(Researcher journal, Site 5, Session 1). The importance of recognising the agencyof young people through listening to them, trusting them, giving them choice andsharing power with them were evident in this metaphor. It revealed a shift inperspective that influenced educator identity and development in practice. Interviewdata identified similar shifts such as the shift from telling young people what theyneed to know to genuinely listening to what young people want. Similarly, the shiftfrom being primarily a deliverer of curriculum to being in an authentic relationshipwith young people was identified. Whilst these shifts were not directly articulatedby RPG participants, prototyping RPGs provided a space for educators to beinducted into a relational way of being in their work with young people andcolleagues. Some indication that shifts in educator identity and development wereoccurring at some level for some educators, may provide initial support forengaging in further exploration and research regarding the efficacy of RPGs for thepurpose of educator induction in multidisciplinary alternative schools.


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Fook (2010) stressed that critical reflective practice is important for interrogatingone’s practice in order to challenge assumptions, and to develop the capacity as anew worker to interpret organisational cultures and avoid ‘victim’ or ‘system’ blam-ing’ in order to find a more integrated understanding of the place of the ‘individualin social context’ (p. 39). At one particular RPG session the group dynamics sup-ported the development of self-awareness of those who shared their perceptions ofchallenging aspects of their work. Participants were able to find new ways of look-ing at certain situations with young people or colleagues. This was not necessarilythe case in all sessions. Some educators expressed frustration around aspects ofwork, for example, the sense of not having a credible voice due to being new in anew context. For some of these educators the RPGs were viewed as a safe place to‘vent’. The facilitators accepted that ‘there is some validity in this, it is of concernif this is where it remains … trying to move the groups through to a position ofindividual ‘action’ that would be empowering, was challenging’ (Researcherjournal, Site 2, Session 2). It was challenging for some educators to interrogatetheir own practice. They tended to project blame on others for conflict, wanting thesituation fixed, stating that they ‘need resolution of issues, a hard line needs to betaken with certain staff’ (RPG, May 2010, Q5C). On the other hand, at other sitesin RPG sessions where people appeared to have a clearer understanding that ‘thereflective practice process is more about self-awareness rather than trying to fix orchange others’ (Researcher journal, Site 3, Session 2), there appeared to be moreopenness to work through challenges and find new perspectives that enabledworkers to ‘turn around a challenging and personally confronting situation into alearning opportunity’ (Researcher journal, Site 1, Session 2). The capacity of someworkers to negotiate these situations appeared to be influenced by their open dispo-sition. They seemed to be able to recognise that they were both learners and expertsin a new work context. Reflection supported their ability to

Acknowledge different ways of approaching situations and [they] were able to recog-nise that there were positive learnings as well as opportunities to push boundaries,redefine ways of operating in a more gentle, less confrontational manner. (Researcherjournal, Site 1, Session 2)

Discussion: implications of reflective practice groups for enhancing professionallearning

The RPG sessions were examples of professional learning situated in a model oflearning as social participation. Wenger (1998) defined learning through the compo-nent of identity as a process of becoming that is constituted through the intercon-nectedness of our individual self in social relations. The shifts in understanding ofeducator identity that were possible as some participants developed an awarenessand appreciation of the type of common challenges and struggles faced, as well aswhat motivates oneself and one’s colleagues in their practice, indicates some of thepotential within a community of practice for identity to be played out and co-con-structed at both the individual and collective levels. At certain moments in thereflective practice sessions, through reflection on practice by the participants, theorientation and focus of the group and the disposition of the individuals were ableto subtly shift in two ways connected to the two overarching themes that influencededucator identity and development in practice. The first shift was from task orienta-tion towards people orientation, reflecting the overarching theme of relationships.


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The second shift was from doing and knowing to a greater awareness of being andunderstanding, reflecting the overarching theme of changing perspectives throughreflection. Identity as social participation provides a range of opportunities for nego-tiating and co-constructing identity in practice – the process of being and becomingan educator. Identity formation is supported through practice or ways of working,expressed within a community as a way of valuing, and experienced through socialparticipation, as a particular way of professional learning.

The research findings provided by the prototyping of RPG sessions were explor-atory in nature and were one component nested within a larger study exploring edu-cator identity and development in practice. Whilst participants did not necessarilyhave enough regular experience of RPG sessions in order to effectively determinethe efficacy of this process as a strategy for enhancing induction and ongoingprofessional learning, initial responses from participants showed some potential.Findings from such a qualitative inquiry cannot be generalised across all sites or toother settings, but rather give some fine grained indication of possible futureresearch options. For example, continuing RPGs into the future on a more regularbasis with educators working in multidisciplinary alternative schools in their induc-tion year and creating more frequent opportunities for gathering evaluation dataover a longer period of time could be an option for further research.

Conclusion

Reflective practice is confirmed as an important development strategy for a range ofprofessionals, including new educators and their facilitators in multidisciplinaryalternative schools. The RPG sessions in this study were developed to enhance edu-cators’ induction in a network of alternative schools. Initial feedback from partici-pants gathered in written evaluations and researcher journal entries of RPG sessionssuggests that the experience of RPGs enhanced the connection educators felt withtheir colleagues and their understanding of themselves in relation to their workpractice. This emphasis on relationships, the first overarching theme identified ininterview data, was clearly evident in RPG data. The activities used in RPGs werevalued by participants as a way to make meaning of their experience of work toenfranchise young people, a finding that was consistent with the second overarchingtheme in interview data analysis, changing perspectives through reflection. Creatingopportunities to explore challenging issues of practice and interrogating one’s ownassumptions regarding the nature and purpose of education highlighted the impor-tance of engaging in critical reflective practice. This enables changes in perspectivethat can widen one’s understanding of the nature of working in multidisciplinaryalternative schools. The multidisciplinary approach to reflective practice adopted inthe research project offers a potential developmental model of educators’ inductionand support for workers in alternative schools where collaboration across multidisci-plinary professional boundaries is required to more effectively support the needs ofyoung people.

Establishing an expectation that new educators participate in this model ofreflective practice appears to be a useful strategy for developing some experienceand clarification of the purpose of reflective practice. The question of whetherlonger-term initiatives should be voluntary or mandatory requires further consider-ation. If reflective practice sessions were to continue in the multidisciplinary alterna-tive schools, further research to evaluate the ongoing efficacy of RPGs as a strategy


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for enhancing educator induction and professional learning is recommended.Specifically, a longitudinal study comparing educators’ reflective practices in smallgroups over time, with the experiences of new educators who do not have theopportunity to engage in this style of professional learning could be significant.

Notes on contributorsAnn Morgan is in the final stages of completing her Doctoral Studies in the School ofEducation and Professional Studies at Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus. She isexploring educator identity and development in alternative education contexts using a socio-cultural qualitative research paradigm. She has had extensive work experience in the fieldsof mainstream and alternative education.

Dr Raymond Brown has conducted research in the following areas: professional and teacherlearning communities; co-operative/collaborative models of learning and teaching; mathematicseducation; values education; teacher attitudes, beliefs and funds of knowledge; and schoolrenewal. Dr Brown currently holds the position of Deputy Head of School (Learning &Teaching), School of Education and Professional Studies, Griffith University.

Deborah Heck is Associate Professor and Head of the Education Discipline at the Universityof the Sunshine Coast. Her research interests include the exploration of change in educationincluding: values education and school renewal, science education, environmental educationand ICTs and teacher education.

Professor Donna Pendergast has conducted research in the following areas: middleyears education; middle schooling; early years education; school and policy reform andevaluation; Year 7 into secondary; resilience; generational theory; Y and Z generations andpedagogy; teacher efficacy; family and consumer sciences research; home economicsphilosophy; cyberbullying; mentoring; evaluation of professional development processes;food literacy; gifted and talented students. She currently holds the position of Head ofSchool/Dean, School of Education and Professional Studies, Griffith University.

Harry Kanasa is currently a senior research assistant with Griffith University on a federallyfunded research project focused on developing a values approach to school renewal. He isalso completing his Doctor of Philosophy studies at the University of Queensland where heis conducting independent research in the field of science education.

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professional identity pathways of educators in alternative schools: the utility of reflective...

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