Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 1 Volume 21, Issue 3 December 9, 2020 ISSN 1099-839X Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Kate Rollert French Wayne State University Abstract: Drawing on literature around the first-year experiences of new teachers working in urban schools, this article examines the changing beliefs of brand-new urban educators as they progress throughout their first year as teacher of record. Using the Moje and Luke (2009) theoretical framework for identity formation and development, this study examines how teachers’ beliefs and dispositions develop in tandem with teacher identity through various social interactions. Findings suggest that new teachers are more likely to change their beliefs when they undergo various stages of emotional conflict and will turn to more experienced colleagues at their new school for advice and insight. This can contribute to belief change and affect classroom practice. Teachers were more likely to change their beliefs during the middle of the school year. Implications for teacher induction and development are discussed. Keywords: Teachers Beliefs and Practices, Belief Influence and Change, Urban Education Citation: French, K. R. (2020). Identity development & belief change: Experiences of beginning urban teachers. Current Issues in Education, 21(3). Retrieved from http://cie.asu.edu/ojs/index.php/cieatasu/article/view/1822 Accepted: October/27/2020 Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Historically speaking, public schooling in America was developed as a means to bring greater parts of society together in an era when division amongst social class, immigrant or native- born status, and religious affiliation caused great dissonance (Reese, 2011). Early public school advocates promised that schools would “restore social harmony” and create moral and law abiding citizens as students learned to work together, and through their differences, in the common school classroom (Reese, 2011, p. 11). However, these early foundations also laid room for conventional Eurocentric values and practices—a tradition in American schooling that is still widely seen today. Continuous bouts of school reform have challenged Eurocentric school norms over the past decade in an effort to create learning environments that are fair and socially just (Hess, 2011). However, greater wide-scale reform movements that focus on equity and improving the http://cie.asu.edu/ojs/index.php/cieatasu/article/view/1822 French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 2 educational outcomes for students from historically underserved populations, such as policy under No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top, have experienced mediocre success and increasing criticism (Ravitch, 2010). One theory of why education policy fails to achieve its aim is because of problems with implementation. Weatherly and Lipsky (1977) discussed this idea of poor implementation as street level bureaucracy, where individuals tend to cope with policy (instead of fully accepting it) and prioritize their own personal incentives. In other words, implementation of policy is only as good as the last implementer. Mary Kennedy discussed this idea further in her book titled: Inside Teaching: How Classroom Life Undermines Reform. Kennedy (2005) argued that education policy fails because teachers only implement parts of policy that they feel are important or have value. Findings such as these suggest that teachers act in their own perceived best interests and could have a greater effect on improving educational outcomes for students than educational policy alone. New teachers with a dedication to teaching for social justice and addressing educational debts between students from high and low socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds, in particular, are entering the classroom more rapidly than ever before (Picower, 2012). However, research shows that this vigor exhibited during the early-career years of new teachers quickly dwindles as teachers gain more years of experience—particularly in under-resourced urban schools (Ingersoll, 2001). Understanding how new teachers experience their first year in the classroom and how these experiences play a role in their developing teaching practice is an area of research that needs further exploration (Wilson et al., 2002). This need is even more vital in urban areas where new teachers who are empowered with visions for reform “fall prey to the stereotypes and deficit thinking that is part of the air they breathe in urban public schools” (Picower, 2007, p. 16). The beliefs of teachers could have serious implications for long-term student outcomes and growth (Gershenson et al., 2016). Therefore, this study seeks to understand the experiences of new teachers working in an urban school and how their beliefs and practices change over the course of their first year. A case study approach reveals the unique individual experiences of five new teachers as they embrace new influences and undergo emotional turbulence during their first year in the classroom as teacher of record. Very few studies explicitly examine how and what influences new teachers during their first few years of teaching (Hopkins & Spillane, 2014). Understanding these factors of influence, and how they influence new teachers’ perception and practice is one step in understanding how schools can work to better prepare their teachers for work in challenging environments. Specifically, I address the following research question: Research Question 1: How are the beliefs of teachers impacted during their first year of teaching? For this study, I chose to capitalize the words “White” and “Black” when they were applied in a racial context. I made this decision because “White” and “Black” are just as important to one’s identity as their geographical or ancestral origins—such as when one identifies as “Irish,” “Chicano,” or “African American.” French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 3 Background on First-Year Teachers New teachers take on a vulnerable role when they embark on their first year as teacher of record (Trent, 2011). They often experience doubt and face many challenges navigating the new terrain of their own classroom, school, and community (Howard & Milner, 2014). New teachers are also most likely to experience significant stages of emotional turbulence as they progress through what Ellen Moir (1990) describes as the six phases of first-year teaching. According to Moir (1990), new teachers experience the six phases of teaching when they begin their first year as teacher of record. These phases are consecutive and coincide with the traditional academic calendar. Anticipation is the first phase new teachers face when they embark on their first year. During this phase new teachers tend to romanticize the position and have a sense of excitement that carries them through their first several weeks of school. The second phase, termed survival, begins during the early months of the school year and is often a very overwhelming phase for new teachers. During this stage, new teachers tend to struggle to manage multiple responsibilities and feel overwhelmed with the many new duties on their plate. Often new teachers will commit to 70-hour work weeks during this phase (Moir, 1990). Disillusionment is the third phase new teachers face. During this phase, first-year teachers typically have low morale and feel defeated in their quest to be a good teacher. During this phase teachers can have lower self-esteem and experience more self-doubt. Classroom management is also a great concern during this phase, which—in addition to formal classroom evaluations that are often given during this timeframe—can cause added stress. This phase typically extends from the end of October to the middle of January. Rejuvenation is the fourth phase that generally finds teachers with a feeling of confidence that that they have a better understanding of their role as a teacher. This phase continues until early spring, when teachers then enter the fifth phase of reflection. During this final phase new teachers feel that the end of the year is fast approaching and they start to reflect on what they could have done better over the year and how they will make these changes in the coming year. This phase typically lasts from the middle of April to the end of May. Figure 1 Moir’s (1990) timeline representing new teachers’ attitude progression over the first year as teacher of record. French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 4 Figure 1 illustrates the various phases new teachers face during their first year as teachers of record. I used this timeline to guide data collection and also to examine how the timing of an experience affected newly acquired beliefs. This timeline also made it possible to identify potential patterns amongst study participants—including when they were most likely to change their beliefs. I then compared these patterns to determine what experiences/ phases of the Moir (1990) model occurred during these belief changes. I also used this data to track potential patterns of occurrences in phases where teachers were more likely to change their beliefs, keep their beliefs, or return to a prior set of beliefs. Teachers Beliefs Former educational research has suggested that the beliefs of teachers are difficult to change (Roehler et al., 1988)—which subsequently led to a trend in research suggesting that teacher preparation programs have limited impact on teacher beliefs (Gallagher, 1994). However, some more recent educational research suggests that teachers’ beliefs can change depending on the unique experiences of each teacher (Trent, 2011). New teachers, in this case, have emerged as more vulnerable to this type of belief change, while more experienced teachers are less likely to change their beliefs (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2007). Because we know that teachers’ beliefs can affect classroom practice and that their perceptions of student ability, value, and motivation to learn (Anderman et al., 2011), teachers’ beliefs are very important to study and examine. For example, if a teacher believes that students from poor or minority backgrounds are less capable of achieving than students from more affluent, privileged backgrounds, then it is possible that this teacher will treat poor and minority students much differently in the classroom. The differences in interactions between these belief-constructed groups could be subtle—such as not calling on a student when her or his hand is raised, or blatant— such as repeatedly targeting the same African-American student for not following a classroom rule when other students breaking the rule are not reprimanded, or overt—such as seating all of the English-language learners in the back of the classroom (Benokraitis & Feagin, 1995). Similarly, if teachers believe that their students are incapable of meeting certain behavioral or academic standards, they may settle for mediocre expectations. This idea of lack of attention toward students from less privileged groups is in direct conflict with teaching for social justice. Understanding how teachers’ beliefs are formed, influenced, changed, or unchanged is an important prerequisite of study in many areas of educational research. In contrast to earlier research on beliefs—particularly on the inability for beliefs to change—emerging research illustrates how not only beliefs can change, but also under which conditions beliefs may change. This is particularly useful in understanding the evolving beliefs of new teachers as they develop their own practices in early-career years and face new sources of influence. Theoretical Framework Like many other professionals in novice roles, new teachers undergo a period of change in creating, understanding, and enacting their new identity as teacher of record (Beijaard et al., 2004). This dynamic process is often challenging as novice teachers struggle to connect previous educational experiences and/or coursework with current understandings of teaching and learning from new perceptions of their school community (Cohen, 2010). While some argue that identity formation occurs on an individual level—and often in isolation from others—Moje and Luke (2009) suggest that identity is constructed through social interactions and evolves overtime. Specifically, Moje and Luke (2009) suggest that individuals form a new identity in part through French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 5 membership in a particular group or group affiliation. For example, as a new White teacher begins her first year, she may be associated with other White teachers at her new school because she is perceived to teach and develop in a similar fashion, and respond in particular scenarios, as the other White teachers would develop and respond. While membership in this group may give a new teacher an instant sense of belonging and source for advice, it could also lead to disbanded affiliations with other groups that embrace more equitable teaching practices and work toward balanced learning environments. By situating this study with the Moje and Luke (2009) identity framework, I was able to observe teachers changing beliefs and dispositions as a part of their identity formation when they engaged in social interactions over the course of their first year. The Moje and Luke (2009) identity framework initially examined teacher identity and its relation to literacy and instruction, but is also appropriate to examine the belief changes and identity formation of new teachers in this study to address the influence of social experiences—and the formation of new relationships—that play a role in developing professional identities of new teachers as they understand their role in the classroom and greater educational community. Methodology I used an embedded case study to study five new teachers working in the same school. I chose an embedded case study model because it allowed me to generate data from surveys, interviews, and classroom observations in an effort to understand the experiences of these teachers as they progressed throughout their first year as teacher of record (Scholz & Tietje, 2011). Overall, I conducted 30 interviews, 15 classroom observations, and 15 surveys. I also used the Moir (1990) First Year Phases of Teaching model as a timeline and reference point for data collection. The Moir (1990) model theorizes what teachers are feeling and emotionally experiencing during various points of their first academic year in the classroom. As a general framework for teachers, the Moir (1990) model suggests that teachers begin their year with a romanticized idealism on what they can achieve in their classroom (anticipation phase), which quickly dwindles into an uncertainty after many weeks of being bombarded with new issues (survival phase). After a few more weeks this uncertainty is confirmed with feelings of ineptitude (disillusionment). Typically, after a holiday break, teachers start to feel a bit more competent in their work (rejuvenation phase), and traditionally end their academic year more optimistic about their teaching in the future (reflection phase). While this model is not a guarantee, it is often what new teachers experience as they transition throughout their first year (Moir & Stobbe, 1995)—suggesting that this experience is the norm for most teachers instead of the exception. By following the trend of Moir’s (1990) six phases, I ensured that data was collected during specified intervals which accurately captured the same time periods of vulnerability and strength for each teacher. Research Setting This study was situated in an urban district that served a population of approximately 5,500 students. 70% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch and 14% of students were enrolled in special education services during the time of study. 35% of the students identified African American, 10% as of the students identified as Latinx, 10% of the students at identified as more than one race, and 48% percent of the students identified as Caucasian. Like many other urban districts, this district was experiencing a declining enrollment during the time of study. Within this district, I chose the middle school as the most appropriate site for study. The middle school not only encompassed the characteristics of an urban school, but it also recruited 14 new French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 6 teachers for the 2015–2016 academic year. Of these new teachers, eight teachers had no years of experience teacher and three had between one and four years of teaching experience. Of the eight qualified new teacher participants, five teachers volunteered to participate in the study. Participant Background The five teachers in this study all graduated from university-based (and accredited) teacher education programs. Each teacher participated in a pre-service internship prior to their participation in this study and was also was exposed to social-justice teaching coursework. The extent to which each teacher learned social justice teaching strategies varied. Some teachers participated in semester long courses that were exclusively devoted to understanding power and oppression in school systems (such as the experience of Mr. Grand), while other teachers attended workshops or participated in class discussions that were generated from socially just education ideology. Only one teacher, Mr. Burlington, was not exposed to social justice ideology as a product of his teacher preparation prior to his first year in the classroom. With the exception of Mr. Burlington, all of the teachers felt a strong sense of understanding of what it meant to teach for social justice. All of the teachers in this study were beginning their first year as teacher of record in the same school. Three of the participants identified as female and two of the participants identified as male. All of the teachers were between the ages of 22 and 28. All teachers identified as White or Caucasian. The teachers were given no incentive to participate in the study, and were asked to participate in a study investigating new teachers on a voluntary basis. The participants taught different subjects. Mr. Grand taught history, Mr. Burlington taught sixth and seventh grade science, Ms. Brownstone taught in the special education resource room, Ms. Land taught German studies, and Ms. Danielson taught French studies. All study participants signed a consent form that outlined study parameters. This document also provided further information on the survey, interview, and observation protocols, identified participant rights, and provided contact information for the university institutional review board in the event of concerns or further questions. Data Collection Data collection took place over the course of the 2015–2016 academic year (beginning August 2015 and ending November 2016). The first set of surveys and interviews were conducted before and during the first weeks of school to get a baseline set of data for each teacher. This time period coincided the anticipation phase of the Moir (1990) model and took place during the months of August and September. Data was collected again in October (survival), December (disillusionment), February (rejuvenation), May (reflection), and July (anticipation) with a final data point collected the following November. The final data collection in November was added as a follow-up interview for teachers to share anything they found necessary to share based on the findings of the study or experience as a participant in the study. The November interview also allowed for teachers to explain what factors might have contributed to changes in their beliefs. Surveys I administered a survey of 43 questions to all study participants three times during the study timeframe. The questions were randomly distributed and redistributed for each survey. To organize survey questions, I created three broad domains and ten more detailed constructs. The three domains encompassed: 1) teaching practice, 2) social justice, and 3) school purpose, while the ten French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 7 constructs focused more specifically on beliefs. Collectively the constructs represented the following belief statements: a) belief that students learn in different ways, b) belief that learning is the same for all students, c) belief in constructivist teaching practices, d) belief in direct- transmission teaching practices, e) belief that students possess strengths from home, f) belief that students do not possess strengths from home, g) belief in high academic and behavioral expectations, h) belief in basic expectations for disadvantaged students, i) belief that schools should prepare students for college, and j) belief that school should prepare students for jobs. These constructs and beliefs are intersectional, but were identified and defined independently to best showcase and isolate any changes in beliefs as they progressed over time. All survey questions were derived from three existing and reputable surveys on teachers’ beliefs and attitudes. The Teaching, Learning, and Computing Survey (1998) was used as one source of questions for the survey in this study. The Teaching, Learning, and Computing Survey (1998) was developed by the Center for Research on Information Technology for Organizations (CRITO) and was used to assess the beliefs of over 5,000 teachers in 1998. The survey asks teachers to describe their best practices, and teaching philosophies by having teachers answer to what extent they agree with statements such as, “I mainly see my role as a facilitator. I try to provide opportunities and resources for my students to discover or construct concepts for themselves.” The survey is commonly referred to as the TLC and was first used to identify differences in teachers’ willingness to implement new technologies based on their constructivist or direct transmission beliefs on teaching. The Teacher Beliefs Survey (TBS) was another survey that I referenced for questions to assesses the beliefs of teachers related to traditional or constructivist approaches in teaching and learning. The TBS utilizes hypothetical situations to assess beliefs. Both the TLC and TBS investigate beliefs about teaching and student learning through different approaches. The TLC survey relies on questions that assess teachers’ broad perspectives, while the TBS relies on questions that assess teacher practices by asking whether they agree with statements such as, “I involve students in evaluating their own work and setting their own goals.” Combined, the two surveys provided questions that helped to assess beliefs on teaching, the purposes of teaching, and social justice. The 2013 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) Teacher Questionnaire has a section on teaching practices, beliefs, and attitudes. This survey was used for an international consortium presented by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to conduct a cross-country analysis on teaching and learning in schools. For this study, I utilized questions from the section on teaching practices, beliefs, and attitudes. Questions from this survey were most useful in assessing teachers’ beliefs on teaching and teachers’ beliefs on student ability and familial involvement. The TALIS also provided questions that assessed job satisfaction, school climate and culture, and community support. Using these three surveys I created a Likert scale of questions that represented each domain and construct. This survey was then piloted using the responses from three first-year teachers before it was given to study participants. The surveys were administered online during the anticipation phase, the disillusionment phase, and the reflection phase with a 100% completion rate. The survey is available in Appendix A. Interviews All teachers participated in five interviews—given in tandem with the Moir (1990) phases with one final interview during the fall of the following year. The interviews were semi-structured French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 8 and lasted approximately 30 to 40 minutes. All interviews were audio-recorded and later transcribed and analyzed using NVIVO software. The semi-structured nature of the interviews allowed for interviewees to contribute any additional information they felt valuable to supporting their survey answers and also classroom observations. The full protocols for the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and final interview are available in Appendix B through Appendix F. Observations To mitigate some of the negative externalities associated with self-reported data, I conducted classroom observations for each teacher during the survival, rejuvenation, and reflection phases of the Moir (1990) model. By observing study participants, I was also able to observe whether their self-reported beliefs matched their teaching behavior. For example, if a teacher self- reported (through survey and interview data) that she held exceptionally high expectations for her students but then had students copying definitions from a book during classroom observations, I would note this as an inconsistency. Similarly, if a teacher thought that she held high expectations for all students but then only enforced these expectations for some of her students during my classroom observations, I would also mark this as an inconsistency. Because of these possible discrepancies, it was vital to include my perspective as a researcher in measuring beliefs during classroom observations over the course of study. For each classroom observation, I took field notes and then categorized them by the three domains of teaching practice, social justice, and school purpose. I also conducted memos after each observation to organize my thoughts and preliminary findings. I compared data from classroom observations to interview and survey data—during each phase—as a way to better understand if perceived beliefs were also authentically demonstrated in classroom practice. The goal of the classroom observations was to document how study participants were teaching and interacting with their students. The observation protocol provided space to document specific examples of teaching that were affiliated with a certain belief domain and/or construct. For each classroom observation, I observed study participants in their own classrooms. The observations ranged from approximately 30 to 60 minutes. Each teacher was aware of when classroom observations would take place. Quality, Rigor, and Trustworthiness Since there was no expectation to replicate the work done in this case study, the terminologies of “reliability” and “validity” were substituted with “quality,” “rigor,” and “trustworthiness.” Two methods were used to enhance quality, rigor, and trustworthiness; triangulation of data sources and member checking. I used the process of triangulation to enrich the data and enhance developing patterns amongst participants. The process of triangulation also justified the need for survey data in combination with classroom observations and interviews. In triangulation, the researcher takes multiple samplings of the same phenomena to better understand, see all parts, and improve the overall accuracy of formed conclusions (Creswell, 2003). For this case study, I used data triangulation to evaluate data from the perspectives of participant interviews, classroom observations, and survey questions. I then looked for consistencies or inconsistencies in ideas across all sets of interview, observation, and survey data. When inconsistencies were identified, I asked study participants to clarify their response. Member checking was a second method I used to ensure trustworthiness of the data. In member checking, the researcher receives feedback from study participants to validate the French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 9 correctness of recorded data (Byrne, 2001). For this study, member checking occurred during the classroom observation and interview phases of the study as participants were asked to clarify their behavior that I witnessed during classroom observations. This reflective process allowed me to triangulate the data with another perspective to ensure that high-quality data that was credible and trustworthy. Analysis I coded the data using domain and taxonomic coding methods. As mentioned above, I categorized beliefs by constructs and domains which made taxonomic coding most relevant to analyzing my data. Taxonomic coding allows for “the systematic search for and categorization of cultural terms” or in the case of this study, defined beliefs (Saldana, 2015, p. 26). By using this method of analysis, I was able to identify and categorize specific examples of beliefs, self- perceptions of beliefs, and understandings of beliefs effect on practice for each the defined belief domains and constructs. The entire coding process for data from interviews and classroom observations was conducted using NVIVO software. To analyze data from surveys I used Likert scale scoring techniques and then identified changes in response to questions that occurred over the Moir (1990) phases. Specifically, I noted when participates changed their response on answers to the same question. Using taxonomic coding strategies, I also developed case-summary maps for each participant to organize their story as it developed over the course of the year. These maps were instrumental in recognizing patterns across participant data and helped to create Figure 1. Role of the Researcher As a qualitative researcher, I could not distance myself from the study as one can do through quantitative research. My background as a former teacher in urban schools and past experience observing teachers in urban schools all led to my initial interest in this phenomenon of teacher beliefs and ultimately grew greater during my literature review. Given these parameters, I was careful to immerse myself as a research participant while also attempting to remain as unbiased, fair, and as truthful as possible. By acting as a research participant, I was careful to mitigate any attempts at unsystematic data collection from a personal prejudice by intentionally structuring multiple data collection points throughout the academic year. I also provided an opportunity for participants to evaluate their data with an interview the following year. Additionally, in agreement with Creswell (2009) stance on research participation, I believed that my personal insights and feelings were strengths to understand the data more fully. Findings All participants changed their beliefs throughout the course of study and at various points of interest. Belief change varied by teacher. Data revealed that new teachers were more likely to change their beliefs regarding teaching practice and social justice than they were for school purpose. Data also revealed that teachers engaged in and developed social relationships with new colleagues as they progressed throughout the Moir (1990) model. Teachers were much more confident in their roles and identities as teachers at the end of the reflection phase. Many teachers shared that their new colleagues helped them to teach in more effective ways and brought about an awareness of how teaching should be at their new school. I chose to share the findings of each teacher individually because the story of each teacher is unique in regards to their developing beliefs and identify. French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 10 Ms. Danielson Ms. Danielson began her year with very optimistic and idealized beliefs on teaching and what it means to teach for social justice. She found value in her students and the surrounding school community, and believed that they all needed to partner for success, and felt that her students would respect her and meet the high academic and behavioral expectations she set. As the year progressed, Ms. Danielson started to believe that she had little control over student achievement, mainly because of her students’ troubling backgrounds and unfortunate home lives. She went from describing the value she saw in her school community as partners in learning, to describing a broken community that was poor and uninvolved. During the survival phase, from the end of September to the end of November, Ms. Danielson started to believe that it was okay for some but not all kids to achieve and that students from diverse backgrounds did not know how to respect teachers, partially due to an upbringing of poor parenting. She shared, “well part of me thought they would do everything I said because I’m the teacher and like parents teach their kids to like respect teachers. But a lot of populations- like the demographics and the low socioeconomic status students—they aren’t taught those things.” Because of this, she felt that as a teacher she had very little control over student achievement and started to believe that schools were more of a daycare than a place to enhance intellectual growth. Ms. Danielson shared, “I would say in general, [their home background] is not overwhelmingly positive. I wouldn’t group them all stereotypically, but I know that a lot of them have low SES status and stuff like that.” Ms. Danielson also echoed similar changes in her beliefs on teaching for social justice when she shared her new beliefs during the survival phase. I have extremely high expectations, but lately they’ve been getting um lower and lower (laughs) like just behave on a regular basis, sit in your seat when you’re supposed to, know when it’s appropriate to sharpen your pencil because the sharpener is incredibly loud, know to raise your hand and not talk out of turn…. I used to expect them to [turn in] their missing work, but now I realize that with their level, I am more responsible for that than they are. Unlike Danielson’ initial beliefs about meeting high expectations during the anticipation phase, this quote indicates that she no longer believes that her students are capable of meeting high expectations—whether they are behavioral or academic. Instead, Ms. Danielson believes that her students now need more guidance, supervision, and less autonomy. She is doubting her students’ abilities. Ms. Brownstone Ms. Brownstone also began her year with many of the same idealized beliefs as those shared by Ms. Danielson. She felt that it was important to prioritize student learning and set high expectations. During the survival phase, Ms. Brownstone still believed that it was important to put kids first, but also felt that her teaching would vary depending on the uniqueness of each student. She shared, “I’d say my role as a teacher is to present the material to the students in the best way that they can learn it – so I try and adapt however I can to teach the individual student” During this phase Ms. Brownstone also started to believe that it was important to enforce neutrality in her classroom, and that school was not a place to discuss differences in one’s beliefs. She shut down most conversations that did not contribute to behavioral or academic goals. Ms. Brownstone also believed during this time that a quiet classroom was important to learning. French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 11 During a classroom observation, I observed one student attempt a conversation with his classmates and Ms. Brownstone. The student was sharing his opinions on homosexuality, gender identity, abortion, and many other politically relevant issues. (He even voiced his concern for politicians who threatened to limit the access of transgendered people to use the bathroom of their choice.) However, despite the students’ knowledge of the topics, Ms. Brownstone paid little attention to his commentary and did her best to ignore most of the words the child said—even when they were posed as a question. After a minute or so, she finally silenced the child saying, “We are tabling this conversation.” These actions illustrate Ms. Brownstone’s new beliefs and also lend themselves toward the stunted progress of social justice and the perpetuation of the status quo. If Ms. Brownstone believes that school is a place to prepare students for society, she is inadvertently teaching her students that society is not accepting of the beliefs that are silenced in her classroom. This is critical to address when educating for social justice. When I asked Ms. Brownstone to explain this specific interaction that I had observed during our follow-up interview, she shared that it was important for her to keep a neutral tone in her classroom and to not address nor draw attention to issues that were inappropriate for school—such as the topic of gender identity. During the disillusionment phase, Ms. Brownstone continued to believe that it was her responsibility to enforce neutrality and to keep controversial topics outside of her classroom She shared: Surprisingly students actually bring up the topic of strong beliefs such as religion and very controversial topics quite often, so I often find myself having those conversations where it’s okay to have different beliefs and that’s okay, but schools not a good place to talk about them because everyone has such strong beliefs. I’ve even had to have the social worker come in and help me with these conversations with the students as well to try and help keep that kind of neutral tone with my kids. So, I definitely have some very strong-minded students—that is something that has been a challenge for me this year is to still keep that neutral tone to my classroom and while still being accepting, if that makes sense. This quote illustrates that while Ms. Brownstone is trying to keep her classroom open to different beliefs and ways of living and thinking, she is also inadvertently silencing conversations that are necessary for students to learn and grow in their understanding of people, society, and the world. Over the course of the year, Ms. Brownstone shared that she often engaged in conversations with her new colleagues for advice and insight. She also often turned to her own mother (a special education teacher in another district) with questions and concerns. She felt that her mother was the most reliable source of influence given her background in teaching and years of experience in the classroom. Ms. Land Unlike the other new educators, Ms. Land experienced the fewest belief changes over the course of the year. She began the year with an appreciation for diversity and the community. She believed that students learn best when they are engaged. She also believed that learning should be an active process and differentiated by student. During the survival phase, she shared, “I really like to try to give [students] good feedback. Like this is where you are, this is where I would like you to be to push yourself to that next level.” She also now used a seating chart strategically to integrate students by different genders, races, and backgrounds. During one classroom observation, she even French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 12 stood up and defended a student to the class who did not identify with the mainstream identity by saying that he was “entitled to [his] own opinion and that we need to be respectful of all classmates.” This quote illustrates that Ms. Land is intentionally intervening to disrupt the power dynamic that exists between those with privilege and those without privilege in an effort to make her classroom a more equitable and socially just place. Like many of the other teachers, Ms. Land also now believed that it was important to mentor certain students. She shared: I see myself as a mentor to quite a few of my students. They come to me telling me they didn’t sleep all night because the step dad was fighting with them and they just need a support in their lives. That’s one of my biggest roles I can be as a teacher is a constant support and also to go back to teaching responsibility and respect to students and to teachers as well. In making these observations, Ms. Land illustrates how her beliefs have evolved from solely providing academic instruction to students to more fully providing more comprehensive accommodations to meet the wellbeing of her students. This growth over time demonstrates how her teaching practice moved from one that was strictly academic to one that considers the barriers to learning that she must address as part of her teaching practice. During the disillusionment phase, Ms. Land changed her beliefs from seeing school as a place to prepare students for college to believing that school should not necessarily prepare students for college because all students should not go to college. She shared: I do think that our system is quite broken in the fact that we push everyone to go on to university, and they really might not be ready. We need people that do different jobs in order for our society to function. So, it doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone needs a college education. In this quote, Ms. Land illustrates a new belief that she has acquired—not everyone needs a college education. She also becomes critical of the American education model as she finds it pushing students towards college when that may not be what her students’ desire—or even what is most appropriate for their skills and talents. Mr. Grand Mr. Grand experienced the most changes among these five new teachers over the course of the year. Mr. Grand began the year like most teachers with idealized beliefs on engaging teaching, positive student/teacher relationships, and appreciation for all kids who, despite their backgrounds, wanted to learn and could learn. However, as Grand transitioned through the survival and disillusionment phases his beliefs and classroom environment changed to reflect new perspectives. During the survival phase, Mr. Grand still believed in the importance of positive student/teacher relationships, but now he felt that his role as a mentor or father figure to his students was even more important that his role as a teacher. He shared an example of his new mindset in detail. I would describe my role as making sure I have a safe environment for kids to come when they’re in my classroom, that they feel very comfortable there. And also to some of them, I feel like kind of like a father figure, like someone they can look up to. I don’t know what their home lives are [like], but a lot of them want to come in French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 13 and tell me what they did the night before and about their weekend and if they’re having a bad day and why. So I think it is part of my job to be a counselor as well, help them with their problems and be someone they can talk to… I assume I might be the only male figure they have as a teacher or even in their life at times so [I see it as] whatever I have to do. And I try to be someone they can talk to if they need to. In this quote, Grand demonstrates a newfound belief in his relationships with his students. While at the beginning of the year, Mr. Grand felt that it was important to form positive student/teacher relationships, he now sees his role as much more important—and involved—than that of a teacher. He feels that he is responsible for saving his students from their home environments and providing them with ways out. His role is no longer purely academic. During the survival phase, Mr. Grand also believed that students in urban schools learn differently than students in non-urban schools, suggesting that urban students do not care to learn and are unmotivated. Mr. Grand shared his new beliefs. I really want them to just focus on the task at hand and know that it’s not social hour, but achievement to them is like whatever, most of them simply don’t care. In terms of achievement, like the standards I want them to reach, it is much harder because first I’ve got to get them to care before they reach the level of understanding.... I’m sure what I deal with on a daily basis doesn’t happen everywhere, and that I guess it’s also hard to say too because I’m in an urban school. In a more suburban school, where if I say something you know the kids do it on the first time. You ask them once instead a bunch of times... And also, I feel like there’s a lot of disrespect [here], like students don’t respect each other enough. They can’t sit there without having to say something to one another at times. It’s not [even] interesting. It’s kind of sad at times. This change for Grand reflects his evolving beliefs from seeing his students as capable of meeting high academic and behavioral expectations to now seeing his students as unable to meet these standards because of their urban backgrounds. This new belief of inferiority gives Grand a reason to believe that his frustration has little to do with his own ability in teaching and more to do with his students’ inability to learn. His comparison of his new students to students in more suburban areas suggests that he now sees his new students as inferior to non-urban counterparts. Here we can sense Mr. Grand’s frustration—not in himself as a teacher, but in his student’s capacity to achieve. During the survival phase, Mr. Grand also started to believe that as a teacher, he should be more of an authoritarian—something he had picked up as advice from a neighboring (and more experienced) teacher. Mr. Brownstone shared how he had learned how to better handle and treat his students based on advice from this teacher that he had come to respect and admire next door. In tandem with this new advice, he started treating his African American students differently During a classroom observation, I observed one African American student doodle through an entire class period while wearing his headphones. When I asked Mr. Grand why this student was not participating, he shared that “I kind of let him just do his own thing” with the hope that he will not disrupt the entire class. He felt that this student’s missed opportunity to learn was better for the entire class’s wellbeing and, therefore, justified. Mr. Grand also tended to target a group of French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 14 African American students in the back of the room for disciplinary issues more often than the other students. During the disillusionment phase, Mr. Grand also began to question the ability for his students’ parents to act as good parents. He shared his new perspective on the community compared to his own community. I mean, I would say I guess my community was pretty White you know, a pretty White privileged school and it’s different here. Part of it is, you can tell that a lot of these kids I wouldn’t call them bad kids, but the way they act out for attention is because they don’t get it at home. There are some parents that probably don’t even care about them and just want them to come to school. That’s why they want to be at school is to see teachers that really care about them, is my guess. When I asked Grand if he advocates for his students on curricular and policy changes that promote more equitable opportunities during this phase, he shared, “No, I have not done that.” When I followed-up to ask if he would ever advocate for polices that promote more equitable opportunities he shared, “Umm I don’t know. I guess that’s hard for me to look down the line. I don’t know maybe. I’d give a lukewarm chance I guess.” When I asked Mr. Grand about his decision to group African American students in the back of the classroom, he said that this seating arrangement was unintentional. When I probed about his new strict classroom management style, and Mr. Grand explained his new perspective. He shared: I expect them to [work] without hemming and hawing about it. Like this is what you’re expected to do, this is what you’re going to do. So, one example from today [is when] we worked in groups and one of the kids was like, “Aww I don’t want work with this group.” And I was like, ‘NO! You are going to work with the group I assigned you to work [with] and that is not going to happen.’ So, like no one gets a choice. Hearing these statements was startling as Mr. Grand began his year believing that all students had value and wanted to learn. Mr. Grand’s pre-service teacher training program even included a semester-long course that focused on systems of oppression, privilege, and power in social institutions like public school—and even equipped teachers to combat these norms in their teaching careers. He once felt this background was instrumental in preparing him for work in an urban environment. However, during the disillusionment phase, Mr. Grand’s thoughts, responses, and actions suggest that his beliefs were very different than when he started teaching. As the year progressed, Mr. Grand often talked about the teacher next door and how he was such a great source of inspiration for him as a new teacher. He felt grateful to have such a brilliant source nearby to answer his questions. Mr. Grand often turned to this teacher for advice on classroom management decisions, and even decided to be stricter and operationalize a no- excuse disciplinary policy because of conversations with this informal mentor teacher next door. Mr. Burlington Mr. Burlington began his year different than all of the other new educators. While he believed that good teaching was engaging and hands-on, he did not believe that his new students would be able to conduct themselves properly or meet high academic and behavioral expectations because of their backgrounds and upbringings in the community. These beliefs changed as her underwent the phases of the Moir (1990) model. During the survival phase, Mr. Burlington started to see a new ability that he did not expect in his students and was really impressed in how his students worked together and really supported French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 15 each other like a family. He still did not think they possessed any strengths from their home environments, but he did see that his students were able to meet—and exceed—his expectations. He also started to believe that teaching and learning skills were more important than learning content—even though he relied on lecture and teacher-dominated learning strategies during this phase. During the survival phase, Mr. Burlington shared that his beliefs about the community had changed from the idea of “being prepared for the worst” to viewing his students and community as “no different than anyone else.” He went on to share that his students “might not have the support at home that other students get, but that they’re still kids. They still laugh, and cry, and can be disruptive.” Data from the first and second survey also showed that Mr. Burlington doubled his composite score in the beliefs on social justice section. In particular, his score doubled for questions regarding a belief that students possess strengths from home, and his score more than doubled for questions regarding a belief that students are capable of meeting high expectations. This demonstrates that Mr. Burlington began the year with serious doubts about the community’s ability to positively contribute to student success. He then significantly changed his mind to view the community as really no different than his own community, with students and parents who wanted the same things for their families as what families want in any community. When Mr. Burlington spoke about what influenced his development as a new teacher, he shared that the colleagues in his science department had really been the most influential in his belief transformation toward seeing his students in a more positive way. He felt that had it not been for the regular interactions with his science department that he might have experienced his first year very differently. Discussion As educators progressed through their first year as teacher of record, most experienced not only changes in their emotions but also changes in their beliefs. At the beginning of the year, Ms. Danielson, Ms. Brownstone, and Mr. Grand held empowering and idealized beliefs about teaching. These teachers believed that teaching should be student-centered and that teachers should hold high academic and behavioral expectations. During these phases, these three teachers also felt confident in their ability to execute these idealized beliefs in their classrooms and form rich and meaningful relationships with their students. They all possessed empowering thoughts about in their new urban community—including the ability for students to thrive in the classroom with positive parental support. However, as these three new teachers transitioned into the second phase of survival, and into the third phase of disillusionment, they began to hold very different beliefs about their students’ abilities, backgrounds, and their own ability to impact change as a teacher. These new beliefs were overall less empowering and drastically different than the novice educators’ beliefs from the previous phase. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Mr. Burlington began his first year with a less empowering set of beliefs, believing that his students were incapable of meeting high academic and behavioral expectations, and that they also they suffered from difficult homes lives and subsequently possessed no strengths from home. Yet, as Mr. Burlington transitioned through the survival and disillusionment phases of the Moir (1990) model, he encountered significant belief change as he adopted drastically different beliefs about his students, the community, and his ability to impact his students for the greater good. Specifically, he moved from believing that his students were less capable of achieving than their non-urban student counterparts because of their backgrounds to believing that they had the same potential as any kid in any school. French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 16 While all of these teachers underwent significant changes in their beliefs during the survival and disillusionment phases, albeit on different ends of the spectrum, they all shared one commonality as they progressed through the rest of the Moir (1990) model: their beliefs did not incur any further drastic change past the disillusionment phase. As Mr. Burlington, Mr. Grand, Ms. Danielson, and Ms. Brownstone continued through the final—and similar—phase of rejuvenation and reflection, they all experienced renewed hope and reflected on how they were going to embark on their next year differently. During the final phase of rejuvenation and reflection, these teachers became more unwavering in their newest beliefs, firming up their newly acquired and more empowering (or less empowering) beliefs about teaching, their students, and the community. These newly formed mindsets continued on for the rest of the year. When compared with the Moir (1990) emotional changes, the changes in teachers’ beliefs for these four teachers directly or inversely mirrored the changes in the Moir (1990) model as portrayed in Figure 2. In this figure, “Belief Changes A” denotes teachers who changed their beliefs from doubtful to more empowered, where teaching was based in constructivism, the teacher saw value—and potential—in students and their community, and school was a place for preparing caring and responsible citizens with skills to contribute in society. Conversely, “Belief Changes B” denotes a more disenchanting path, that summarizes a digress from beliefs that were hopeful and almost sanguine to beliefs that were less empowering towards students and their community. Teachers who followed this curve were also more likely to use a more authoritative approach to instruction as the year progressed. In contrast to the two pathways of belief change, the final path on this figure illustrates to unique trajectory for one of the teachers—Ms. Land—who experienced little to no change in her beliefs over the course of the year. Therefore, “No Change in Beliefs” illustrates how the beliefs of one teacher remained constant for the duration of the year. Figure 2 Moir (1990) timeline representing new teachers’ attitude progression over the first year as teacher of record. French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 17 These four teachers experienced similar changes in their beliefs as they experienced changes in their emotions throughout the Moir (1990) model. However, unlike in the Moir (1990) model where teachers experienced a renewed hope during the rejuvenation phase—and similar emotions to those experienced during the anticipation phase—during the final reflection phase, the beliefs of Mr. Burlington, Mr. Grand, Ms. Danielson, and Ms. Brownstone did not revert back to the initial and idealized beliefs they possessed during the anticipation phase. Instead, these four teachers finished out the remaining phases of the Moir (1990) model operating under the mindset of the new beliefs they had acquired during the disillusionment phase. Over the course of the year, the five new educators shared what they perceived to be the sources of influences on their beliefs. As mentioned, during the anticipation phase all of the novice teachers shared that their beliefs associated with teaching and working in urban schools were mostly influenced by their experiences in their teacher education preparation program—or in the case of Ms. Brownstone, her own mother who was a teacher. During the survival phases, these perceived influences on their beliefs changed as a majority of the new teachers identified different sources of influence from their new social connections, such as those from more experienced teachers. Ms. Danielson, Ms. Brownstone, Mr. Grand, and Mr. Burlington all felt that the experienced teachers they interacted with most regularly, such as teachers in their departments, or that next doors, affected their beliefs about teaching, their students, and the community most significantly during this phase. Moje and Luke (2009) suggest that people are more likely to change their identities as they engage in new social relationships and social scenarios—just as many of the new teachers experienced in this study. Because identity is so closely tied to ones’ beliefs, it is possible that teachers were also situating their new professional identities to more closely align with those of their mentor teachers. Ms. Land was the exception of the group sharing that she felt other educators she respected influenced her beliefs most significantly, but did not name anyone specifically in her department like the other new teachers had named. Ms. Danielson felt that her French department was very influential in shaping her beliefs, and Ms. Brownstone felt that same way about her special education department—even though they were geographically distant from her classroom. Mr. Burlington even gave credit to his science department for changing his perception of his students whom he had held a negative opinion of from day one. Burlington felt that because of the science department’s empowering views and positive work ethic, he had changed his beliefs about his students to now believe that they were capable of achieving far greater endeavors than he had even imagined during the previous phase. Mr. Grand felt strongly that the other social studies teacher who was stationed immediately next door to his classroom was most influential in his new and emerging beliefs about this student and his teaching pedagogy. He also felt that his principal was another source of influence. As the five new educators progressed into the final phase of reflection, I asked what influenced their beliefs. Surprisingly, during this final phase of reflection four of the five new educators shared that their beliefs were not really influenced by anything else and that they had formed their opinions on matters based on their own thought processing and reasoning ability. More so, these same four teachers did not think that their beliefs about their students, the community, or that their teaching practice had changed over the course of the first year. With the exception of Ms. Land, these new educators all had changed their beliefs significantly over the year and it was surprising as the researcher to hear that they had not noticed this change— especially when they felt that their beliefs had been influenced three phases earlier. When I informed Mr. Grand, Ms. Brownstone, and Ms. Danielson that their beliefs had changed based French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 18 on my preliminary data analysis from interview, classroom observation, and survey data, they were not exceptionally surprised and felt that it was possible for these changes to occur unknowingly—and especially during the months up to Winter break—because of the many demands that weighed on them as first year teachers. All of the teachers felt that it was possible for an individual to change their beliefs on all sorts of issues and also in a new school as they had experienced. Ms. Land even shared that it was possible for people to change their beliefs and that her own beliefs could have changed without her even noticing because of the many demands and additional responsibilities outside of teaching that she faced as a new teacher. However, this response was the first time Ms. Land had ever mentioned the many demands on her plate as a new teacher. During the earlier parts of the year she seemed to manage every responsibility with poise. Interestingly, Mr. Burlington, who felt that his beliefs had changed over the course of the year, shared at the end of the year that beliefs in general do not change and are “more concrete.” This was an interesting remark given Mr. Burlington’s belief changes that he experienced over the course of the year and his willingness to admit that they had changed and were greatly influenced by the teachers in his science department. Mr. Burlington’s emotional experiences also mirrored those of Mr. Grand, Ms. Danielson, and Ms. Brownstone as he progressed through the Moir (1990) model. Therefore, it is interesting that Mr. Burlington did not experience the same unawareness of belief change as Mr. Grand, Ms. Brownstone, and Ms. Danielson had experienced. Mr. Burlington experienced a belief change curve that inversely mirrored the belief change curve of Mr. Grand, Ms. Brownstone, and Ms. Danielson. Specifically, Mr. Burlington began his year with less empowering beliefs about teaching and teaching for social justice and then changed his beliefs into drastically more empowering beliefs by the end of the disillusionment phase. Mr. Grand, Ms. Brownstone, and Ms. Danielson experienced the opposite effect, beginning their year with more empowering beliefs and ending the disillusionment phase with drastically less empowering beliefs than they possessed at the beginning of the year. Implications in Teaching for Social Justice In teaching for social justice, teachers must first recognize that certain socially constructed groups are privileged, while others are disadvantaged (Johnson, 2006). Understanding how this complex system of injustice exists is a foundational principle in teaching for social justice. The next step is for teachers to actively engage as change agents in their classrooms and communities to combat patterns of oppression by intentionally disrupting behavior, activity, and decisions that perpetuate the oppression of marginalized groups—or in the case of this study, students who identify with the less privileged minority (Ayvazian, 2004). When teachers are acting as change agents and disrupting this cycle of oppression, they are teaching for social justice (Banks, 2001). Understanding educational experiences through the lens of Critical Race Theory is also paramount to teaching for social justice. While many of the teachers cited exposure to social justice oriented pre-service coursework, few behaved in a way aligned with the true tenants of teaching for social justice. For example, Ms. Brownstone believed that she was teaching for social justice when she disallowed for students to talk about topics such as sexual orientation and gender identity. She felt these topics were controversial and that censorship of these topics was more important because school was a place to respect everyone’s beliefs. However, by suppressing conversations and opinions that she felt were inappropriate based on her perspective, Ms. Brownstone was inadvertently silencing marginalized groups that do not identify with mainstream perceptions of identity. From French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 19 a social justice perspective, Ms. Brownstone was perpetuating the status quo and not disrupting the cycle of oppression as it relates to those with diverse gender identities and sexual orientations. Perhaps more concerning, Ms. Brownstone was unaware of how her actions might reinforce a culture of heteronormativity in her own classroom. Similarly, even though Mr. Grand completed an entire semester’s worth of learning to teach for social justice, he deliberately ignored some of his Black students (who he had deemed as troublemakers) in an effort to not disrupt the entire class. In doing this, Mr. Grand could have modeled to other students in the classroom that his Black students were less capable of meeting his expectations and therefore excused of meeting his expectations. In an effort to truly combat the systems of oppression and end this cycle, teachers like Ms. Brownstone and Mr. Grand should think carefully about how they exhibit their authority and whom they target for regular discipline (Johnson, 2006). Truly teaching for social justice would mean circumventing their teaching strategies to create a more inclusive classroom culture where students from all backgrounds feel welcome. Implications for Teacher Induction Based on findings from this study it is recommended that schools consider the demands placed on first-year teachers and work to deter less meaningful initiatives, mandates, and trainings that might interfere with a more empowering teacher induction period. All of the teachers in this study felt that there were too many demands, unaffiliated with teaching, that were placed on them during their first year. These demands pulled them away from their own teaching, lesson planning, and otherwise empowering development. These demands may have also contributed to more emotional turbulence. Given these parameters, schools and districts could structure first-year teaching policy that is amenable to first-year experiences and builds gradually in a consecutive and manageable fashion instead of piling new demands all at once. Schools may also consider partnering with local universities to create teacher induction programs that better connect theory with practice. As new teachers embark on their first year, it is important that teacher induction programs provide teachers with both the hands-on experience and constructive support. With high-quality teacher induction program, the transition from pre- service teacher to teacher of record could be more manageable (Stanulis et al., 2007). Limitations The small number of new teachers who participated in this research is one limitation of this study. The intensive data collection that spanned an entire year and allowed for multiple sources of data collection was used intentionally to mitigate the effects of a small sample size. I spent nearly 50 hours with teachers to develop a rich understanding of their unique experiences, perspectives, beliefs, and perceived influences as they transitioned through each phase of the Moir (1990) model. This intensive data collection helped to offset the limited sample size. The second greatest limitation of this study was fully capturing the true beliefs of teachers because beliefs are difficult to conceptualize and even more difficult to define and verbalize. To best address this concern, I relied on pre-defined belief domains and constructs to record and map any changes in beliefs that occurred over the course of the first year. I also utilized the Moir (1990) model to strategically track changes in beliefs at appropriate checkpoints. These belief changes were self-reported in interview and survey data, but I also used classroom observations to consider how and if the self-professed beliefs of new teachers matched their exhibited beliefs. A third limitation of this study—as with all qualitative research—is the French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 20 idea of a social desirability bias. As participants responded to interview questions they did so with their own agency, but as the social desirability bias posits they could have also answered interview and survey questions in a manner that produced answers that would be viewed more favorably by others or the researcher (Grimm, 2010). Because of this, it was important that I assure participants of their anonymity in this study and that their answers would not be shared with any school staff administrators (for risk of retribution). I also relied on classroom observations and survey data as a way to elicit the most accurate responses and to help lessen the social desirability bias. Contributions to the Literature This study contributes to existing literature on teacher beliefs and developing identity, and extends this research to understand how the beliefs and identities of brand-new teachers are influenced and changed. This study shares not only when new teachers are likely to experience belief and identity change, but also the possible factors that can contribute to this change. New teachers are more susceptible to changing their beliefs, identities, and ways of teaching during their first few months in the classroom and when they are turning to other experienced teachers in their school for advice. New teachers are also more likely to turn these experience teachers when, as Moje and Luke (2009) suggest, there is an ideal social environment for the evolution of a new identity. New educators undergoing these phases perceive these informal mentors as much more knowledgeable about teaching and often defer to their expertise. This is one possible source that may change new teachers’ beliefs and ways of teaching. As discussed, some new teachers held misconceptions of what it means to teach for social justice which prompted behaviors that were detrimental to students from historically underserved and marginalized groups. Based on this finding, future studies could explore how these misunderstandings manifests in greater detail and how teacher induction programs could work to remedy misconceptions. Based on the finding that teachers feeling influenced by other teachers in their school, future research could examine the developing social ties of incoming novice educators in an effort to better understand how novice teachers’ beliefs are influenced and changed by social networks. Because many teachers often undergo unexpected experiences, social interactions, and general set-backs in understanding what it means to be a teacher during their first year, schools and teacher preparation programs should consider how they can structure supportive social environments that empower teachers and their developing identity as teacher professionals. As mentioned, one possible way of doing this is through teacher induction. Teacher induction is often a partnership between a school and a local university where both parties work to help merge the worlds of theory with practice as teachers gain more real-world experience but consistently reflect back on their theoretical knowledge of teaching and learning (Stanulis et al., 2007). This study suggests that teacher induction programs may play an even more powerful role in helping new teachers explore their new environments and social interactions with teaching experts as appointed mediators. 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Indicate your agreement or disagreement with each by place the following abbreviations next to each sentence: Strongly Disagree-SD, Moderately Disagree-MD, Slightly Disagree-SD, Slightly Agree–SA, Moderately Agree–MA, Strongly Agree-SA 1. Teachers know a lot more about than students: they shouldn’t let students muddle around when they can just explain the answer directly. 2. A quiet classroom is generally needed for effective learning. 3. Students are not ready for “meaningful” learning until they have acquired basic reading and math skills. 4. It is better when the teacher-not the students decides what activities should be done. 5. Students will take more initiative to learn when they feel free to move around the room during class. 6. How much students learn depends on how much background knowledge they have—that is why teaching facts is so necessary. The following statements are about schooling and social issues. Indicate your agreement or disagreement with each by place the following abbreviations next to each sentence: Strongly Disagree-SD, Moderately Disagree-MD, Slightly Disagree-SD, Slightly Agree–SA, Moderately Agree – MA, Strongly Agree-SA 1. The American economy will be sufficiently strong during the next two or three decades to provide a place in the working world for people of all skill levels_______ 2. In the 21st century world economy, there won’t be nearly enough “blue-collar” and service jobs for the numbers of people who typically graduate from high-school and don’t go on to college________ 3. A good academic education, through college, will provide students the most important skills and knowledge they will need to succeed in work________ 4. Most high school and college education does not provide what students now need—a capacity to take initiative, to organize work with others, to deal with novel problems, and to use technologies______ 5. Schools have generally failed to educate most students from lower class backgrounds enough for them to escape the poverty of their origins______ 6. Good basic reading and mathematics skills and learning the important facts of history and science will enable most students from immigrant and poor families to succeed in school and later life________ Imagine how you will set up your own future classroom as you read each of the following survey statements. As you think about your classroom (not your cooperating teachers’ classrooms), write a number on the line beside each statement to indicate how much you disagree or agree with the statement on a scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree) French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 24 1. It is important that I establish classroom control before I become too friendly with students_______ 2. I believe that expanding on students’ ideas is an effective way to build my curriculum______ 3. I prefer to cluster students’ desks or use tables so they can work together. 4. I invite students to create many of my bulletin boards_____ 5. I like to make curriculum choices for students because they can’t know what they need to learn____ 6. I base student grades primarily on homework, quizzes, and tests______ 7. An essential part of my teacher role is supporting a student’s family when problems are interfering with a student’s learning_____ 8. To be sure that I teach students all necessary content and skills, I follow a textbook or workbook____ 9. I involve students in evaluating their own work and setting their own goals_____ 10. My primary role as a teacher is to help students become learners, not to teach particular content knowledge_____ 11. When there is a dispute between students in my classroom, I try to intervene immediately to resolve the problem____ 12. I believe students learn best when there is a fixed schedule____ 13. I communicate with parents mainly through report cards and parent-teacher conferences____ 14. During discussions I ask many open-ended questions and encourage students to ask questions of each other____ 15. If I am not directing classroom events, the most likely result is chaos___ 16. My students spend the majority of their seatwork time working individually___ 17. For assessment purposes, I am interested in what students can do independently____ 18. I invite parents to volunteer in or visit my classroom almost any time____ 19. I generally use the teacher’s guide to lead class discussions of a story or text. 20. I prefer to assess students informally through observations and conferences. 21. I find that textbooks and other published materials are the best sources for creating my curriculum____ 22. If students are interested in a topic I try to help them, but I don’t use class time because I have a lot of curriculum to cover____ 23. I often create thematic units based on the students’ interests and ideas____ 24. Students need to learn that there are consequences for inappropriate behavior____ Please indicate how much you disagree or agree with each of the following statements ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree). …your personal beliefs on teaching and learning 1. Effective good teachers demonstrate the correct way to solve a problem____ 2. When referring to a “poor performance”, I mean a performance that lies below the previous achievement level of the student_____ 3. It is better when the teacher – not the student – decides what activities are to be done____ 4. My role as a teacher is to facilitate students’ own inquiry____ 5. Teachers know a lot more than students; they shouldn’t let students develop answers that may be incorrect when they can just explain the answers directly____ 6. Students learn best by finding solutions to problems on their own____ 7. Instruction should be built around problems with clear, correct answers, and around ideas that most students can grasp quickly____ 8. How much students learn depends on how much background knowledge they have – that is why teaching facts is so necessary____ 9. Students should be allowed to think of solutions to practical problems themselves before the teacher shows them how they are solved____ 10. When referring to a “good performance”, I mean a performance that lies above the previous achievement level of the student____ 11. A quiet classroom is generally needed for effective learning____ 12. Thinking and reasoning processes are more important than specific curriculum content_____ … about yourself as a teacher in this school? French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 25 1. All in all, I am satisfied with my job___ 2. I feel that I am making a significant educational difference in the lives of my students___ 3. If I try really hard, I can make progress with even the most difficult and unmotivated students___ 4. I am successful with the students in my class____ 5. I usually know how to get through to students____ 6. Teachers in this local community are well respected_____ ... about what happens in this school? 1. In this school, teachers and students usually get on well with each other____ 2. Most teachers in this school believe that student well-being is important___ 3. Most teachers in this school are interested in what students have to say____ 4. If a student from this school needs extra assistance, the school provides it_______ Which THREE of the following do you believe are the most important objectives that middle and high school education should have? Please ✓ next to the 3 most important objectives. 1. Mastery of content in science, history, algebra, and literature. 2. Developing talent in the performing arts or athletics. 3. Competence in writing and in oral communication. 4. Learning to reason carefully and use evidence well. 5. Being able to work well in groups, and understand different views. 6. Being interested and able to learn independently. 7. Wanting to help others and contribute to the general community. 8. Developing skills in using computers to analyze and present ideas. How useful are each of the following kinds of assessments for you in judging how well students are learning: Indicate your answer by place the following abbreviations next to each sentence: Not useful-NU, Slightly useful-SU, Moderately useful-MU, Very useful-VU, Essential-E 1. Short-answer and multiple-choice tests_____ 2. Essay tests______ 3. Open-ended problems ____ 4. Individual and group projects_____ 5. Standardized test results_____ 6. Student presentations/performances____ French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 26 Appendix B: Interview Protocol One TO BE READ AT THE START OF THE INTERVIEW Thank you for agreeing to participate in my research. The interview today will last 45-60 minutes depending upon how much you would like to share, START OF INTERVIEW To begin, I’d like to start by asking you about your beliefs on teaching practice. THEME 1: Teaching Practice 1. How would you describe your role as a teacher? 2. What does it mean to be an effective teacher to you? 3. How did you learn to teach? 4. Who influences your teaching practice in your new school? a. For each person i. When did this person start influencing your practice? ii. How does this person influence your practice? Next, I’d like to ask you a few questions about your students THEME 2: Student Achievement 1. How would you describe your students? 2. How do you measure student achievement? 3. What influences student achievement? 4. Have you always held these beliefs? a. If yes, next question b. If no, ask: How did your beliefs on student achievement change? 5. Do your beliefs on student achievement align with other teachers in your school? a. Which ones? b. How frequently do you talk with them? 6. Do your beliefs on student achievement misalign with other teachers in your school? a. Which ones? b. How frequently do you talk with them? THEME 3: Response to reform efforts 1. How do you feel about implementing new reforms into your school and/or classroom? a. What influences your decision to accept a new reform with enthusiasm? b. What influences your decision to accept a new reform because it is mandatory? 2. How do other teachers in your school feel about implementing new reforms into your school and/or classroom? a. Do you feel you share the same feelings about reform with teachers you talk interact with most frequently? i. How so? 3. Are you more willing to accept a new reform enthusiastically if teachers you are close with accept it enthusiastically as well? 4. Are you less accepting to accept a new reform enthusiastically if teachers you are close with do not accept it enthusiastically? THEME 4: Job Satisfaction French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 27 1. Do you enjoy teaching? Why? a. Have you always felt this way? b. What was your initial outlook on being a teacher? 2. What is your long-term career plan? a. Have you always felt this way? 3. What has influenced your job satisfaction as teacher of record? 4. What has influenced your motivation and attitude toward teaching in urban schools? a. Do the teachers you are close with share these motivations and attitudes toward teaching? French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 28 Appendix C: Interview Protocol Two Teaching Practice 1. How would you describe your role as a teacher today? 2. What are your expectations for students? a. Ability b. Achievement 3. What are your goals for teaching long-term? 4. How would you describe your classroom practice? a. Is learning the same for all students? b. Is learning different for all students? 5. Who is responsible for constructing knowledge? a. Students, and teacher serves as a facilitator? b. Teacher should make all decisions? 6. What is most important in student learning to you? a. Mastering content? b. Develop skills to learn? 7. What or who do you believe influences your beliefs on how you teach? a. Teacher prep program? b. New colleagues? i. Which ones? c. Other Social Justice 1. How would you describe your students’ home environment? a. Do students possess strengths from home? 2. How would you describe your current students? 3. How would you describe satisfactory student performance for your students? a. Is it when students do better than they did before? b. Is it when they are on grade-level or showing that they are college ready? 4. What or whom do you believe influences your beliefs on your students and their families? a. Teacher prep program? b. New colleagues? i. Which ones? c. Other School Purpose & Reform 1. How would you describe the purpose and state of America schools today? a. Kids to college? b. Skills for work? c. Not meeting their potential? 2. How do you feel about implementing new school initiatives into your school and/or classroom?* 3. What or whom do you believe influences your beliefs on schooling purpose and reform? a. Teacher prep program? b. New colleagues? c. Which ones? d. Other Impact on classroom behavior 1. How do you think your beliefs influence your activities and interactions with students in the classroom? 2. Can you provide an example of your beliefs influence your classroom activities and interactions with students? French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 29 Appendix D: Interview Protocol Three Teaching Practice 1. How would you define your teaching practice? Social Justice 2. Can you provide an example of you using culturally responsive or justice-oriented teaching methods in your classroom? For the following question provide an example as well 4. Do you think you hold high academic and behavioral expectations for all in a rigorous curriculum? 5. Do you think your classroom climate is warm and demanding? How so? 6. Do you affirm and sustain their students' cultural backgrounds by drawing from their "funds of knowledge" (languages, histories, cultural practices) 7. Do you connect with their students' families and communities? 8. Do you advocate for curricular and policy changes that promote more equitable educational opportunities? 9. Do you help students identify and critique historical and contemporary examples of injustice? 10. Do you empower students to actively work toward social change? 11. How do you think your beliefs about teaching and your students’ abilities are reflected in your classroom practice? 12. Now I’m going to ask you some specific questions about my visit to your classroom… (Will vary for each teacher based on previously recorded data) French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 30 Appendix E: Interview Protocol Four (Will vary by each teacher based on classroom observation) 1. When I visited the students were {INSERT OBSERVATION i.e. copying definitions form the overhead and generating discussion}. You said in an earlier interview that {INSERT DATA i.e. that you see your role for teaching as not just someone who is there to teach but more of a mentor, or a father-figure for students to look up to}, can you explain how these beliefs of yours came into play during this lesson? 2. You also said that you {INSERT DATA i.e. you believe students should take ownership of their learning, but that it is more of the teacher’s responsibility to construct knowledge}. Can you explain how this belief came into play during this lesson? 3. You mentioned in our last interview that you {INSERT DATA i.e. hold incredibly high academic and behavioral expectations for your students} – can you explain how this came to play in the lesson I visited? 4. You mentioned that {INSERT DATA i.e. skills are more important that retaining content}, can you explain how this belief came into play in this lesson? 5. You mentioned in our last interview that you {INSERT DATA i.e. try to incorporate social justice teaching by intentionally showcasing prominent African American inventors or leaders in your lessons}. Can you explain how this came to play or how you connected with your African American students in 6. You mentioned that you see are {INSERT DATA i.e. usually supportive of new reforms if other teachers in your school are supportive}. Can you explain how this belief came into play during the lesson I observed? 7. You mentioned that you see schools as {INSERT DATA i.e. a space to prepare kids for jobs} can you explain how this came into play in your classroom when I visited? 8. Now I want to hear about your teacher preparation program. How did they prepare you to teach? What did they tell you to anticipate regarding the culture you would encounter at your school? Do you think this preparation was reaLandic for your current teaching environment? 9. How was your current work environment changed that way you teach, compared to how you expected to teach at day 1? Who or what has affected this change? French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 31 Appendix F: Interview Protocol Five Teaching Practice How would you describe the role and responsibilities you hold as a teacher? Teaching curriculum, safe environment, foster relationships What do you believe is the purpose of schooling? What are your expectations for students? What is your long-term career plan today? What influences your job satisfaction? How would you describe your classroom practice? Is learning the same for all students? Is learning different for all students? Students, and teacher serves as a facilitator? Teacher should make all decisions? What is most important in student learning to you? More about the skills Mastering content? Develop skills to learn? What or who do you believe influences your beliefs on teaching and your students most? Social Justice How would you describe your current students? Do your beliefs on student achievement (ability) align with what any other teachers believe at your school? How would you describe your students’ home environment? How would you describe satisfactory student performance for your students? each kid is different Is it when students do better than they did before? Is it when they are on grade-level or showing that they are college ready? What or whom do you believe influences your beliefs on your students and their families? School Purpose & Reform How do you feel about implementing new school initiatives into your school and/or classroom? What or whom do you believe influences your beliefs on new school initiatives? Do you think your beliefs about teaching, student achievement, teaching for social justice, and school reform changed over the course of the year? What do you think influenced this change most? French: Identity Development & Belief Change: Experiences of Beginning Urban Teachers Current Issues in Education, 21(3) 32 Author Notes Dr. Kate Rollert French Wayne State University Kate.french@wayne.edu Volume 21, Issue 3 December 9, 2020 ISSN 1099-839X Readers are free to copy, display, and distribute this article, as long as the work is attributed to the author(s) and Current Issues in Education (CIE), it is distributed for non-commercial purposes only, and no alteration or transformation is made in the work. Details of this Creative Commons license are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/. All other uses must be approved by the author(s) or CIE. Requests to reprint CIE articles in other journals should be addressed to the author. Reprints should credit CIE as the original publisher and include the URL of the CIE publication. CIE is published by the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. Editorial Team Consulting Editor Neelakshi Tewari Lead Editor Marina Basu Section Editors L&I – Renee Bhatti-Klug LLT – Anani Vasquez EPE – Ivonne Lujano Vilchis Review Board Blair Stamper Melissa Warr Monica Kessel Helene Shapiro Sarah Salinas Faculty Advisors Josephine Marsh Leigh Wolf mailto:Kate.french@wayne.edu