Verificación y Acción Correctiva

Huberman (1993) offered the opportunity to add a further dimension to the analysis of the data in regard to comparing certain phases or cycles in the development of TAFE teachers. He referred to the professional development of secondary school teachers as the ‘professional trajectory of teachers’ (p.8). He argued that secondary school teachers go through certain phases in their professional lives and chose to interpret a teacher’s professional life as a ‘career’. He cited Super (1957) as identifying the phases as ‘a series of sequences or

maxicycles’ (p.3). However, he acknowledged certain limitations ‘This is not to say that these cycles are always experienced in the same order, nor does it suggest that all members of a profession traverse each sequence’ (p.3).

A major objective of Huberman’s research was ‘to challenge the accepted notion that ‘everybody knows’ what happens to teachers in the course of their career’ (p.261). When designing his research he discovered conflicting opinions from key administrators such as: principals of schools, department heads and central office personnel. He voiced his concern about ‘opinions which may have serious consequences’ based on an ‘intuitive knowledge base’ (pp.261-262) and sought to test these beliefs. He stated ‘Our objective was therefore to buttress - or to invalidate – this intuitive knowledge base with recourse to a more vigorous study’ (p.262).

An unexpected outcome of his investigation was that a considerable number of teachers participating in his research expressed their pleasure in discovering how reflection on their teaching lives had allowed them to take time to recognise important career events. He stated his expectation that schools might encourage ‘havens of professional reflection around the themes approached in this study’ and that this more profound consideration of ‘life cycles’ could have a positive influence on the ways that school administrators ‘manage’ teachers (p.262).

The notion that teacher development is a process of development was clearly important to Huberman. He argued:

For some this process may appear to be linear, but for others there are stages, regressions, dead-ends and unpredictable changes of directions

sparked by new realizations – in short, discontinuities … accidents, political events or economic crises’ (p.4).

The first phase of the process was experienced at the start of a career as a series of

‘exploration’ events such as experimenting with the new profession and one or more roles. It was his belief that some people never stop exploring. He believed that if the first phase is ‘generally positive’, the teacher might move onto a phase of ‘stabilization or commitment’. He explained that at the ‘stabilization’ phase the teacher seeks to become professionally committed and established in their career and feel independent. He acknowledged that teachers have different perceptions of what is needed to become stable: a special focus; satisfying working arrangements; added responsibility; prestige; and financial rewards (Huberman, 1993).

After the ‘stabilization’ or commitment phase the individual begins a phase of

‘experimentation and diversification’ (Huberman, 1993, p.8) . He argued that this might involve such experiments as making changes to their teaching materials and how they assess their students. In this phase the individual sets off to find new and larger challenges. The ‘diversification’ phase then leads to a phase of ‘uncertainty’, ‘self-doubt’ and ‘re-assessment’. He stated there is a phase of ‘re-assessment’ and looking at the ‘balance sheet’ of one’s professional life that ‘often’ plays a significant part. He argued that this occurs ‘mid career, generally between the ages of thirty-five and fifty or between the fifteenth and twenty-fifth year of teaching’ (p.8).

The next phase is described by Huberman as a ‘state of mind’, of being ‘serene’, or having a ‘relational distance’ from the students and occurs when the teacher is approximately forty-five to fifty-five years of age and points out that ‘not all get there’ (p.9) . He believed that a feeling of greater confidence led to a feeling of ‘serenity’. An explanation was put forward that this may be due, in part, to the belief that one no longer has to prove oneself to others or oneself. However, he further cited Peterson (1964) who maintained that teachers could pass from the serene stage to a conservative stage and become passionate complainers.

The research questions noted in Chapter one defined the parameters of a comprehensive literature search. The questions aimed to reveal TAFE teachers’ reminiscences and perceptions and reactions to major changes to both their professional lives, their role as teachers, professional development activities and particular patterns of practice in the culture

of the department. The literature search contributed to an elaboration of the complex issues embedded within these areas of change.

Chapter connections

This chapter reviewed a collection of important research that presented insights and

background to the transformation of TAFE, TAFE teachers work, professional development and a motivation for applying this research project in a TAFE department. The investigation proposed to reveal the teacher’s individual recollections, viewpoints and attitudes to the impact of these changes to TAFE, their work and themselves and contribute to an appreciation of teachers’ professional development within a TAFE department.

Parts one and two of this chapter presented evaluative information related to my study and aimed to clarify connections to professional development and changes that have transformed TAFE teachers work as well as changes to their role and impacted on their professional development. Research questions were designed to gather data that would identify TAFE teachers’ perceptions in these areas. Part three of the literature review contributed to a greater understanding of definitions of teacher expertise, informal and formal professional

development, the changing criteria to being a TAFE teacher from the inception of TAFE in the early 1970s until the 21st century and an explanation of the concept of professional

trajectories. This section aimed to provide clarification for the key ideas embedded in research questions that sought to find answers to the types of professional development the teachers had engaged in, their perceptions and assessment of professional development.

The following chapter describes the research location, aims of the research, rationale for the choice of technique used to gather the information and steps to analysing the data.