In this article, we focus on developing a clearer conceptualization of teacher identity. We provide an inclusive definition that integrates three key dimensions of the construct that have been previously underexamined: (1) Teacher identity as part of ongoing, goal-focused, agentic regulating processes, (2) Teacher identity as part of multiple…

In a rapidly changing and challenging world, teachers as influential social agents can play an important and promising role to guide through but also bring about positive change to individuals and society as a whole. This potential stresses the importance of professionalization of teachers and the need for elaborate learning settings to equip…

Due to the teacher shortage, school divisions and educator preparation programs are working collaboratively to provide alternative routes for student teaching to meet licensure requirements (Donitsa-Schmidt & Zuzovsky, 2014; Flynt & Morton, 2009; National Research Council, 2010). This qualitative case study explored the strengths and…

This study examines how asymmetric job conditions deplete the psychological resources of the ECE workforce in a lower-middle-income country (LMIC). Specifically, this preliminary study, using data from preschool teaching staff, examined the influence of (a) job demands (emotional demand, workload, role conflict and work-family conflict) on…

The need for qualified school-based agricultural education (SBAE) teachers is often discussed in terms of teacher recruitment; however, retaining those teachers is also necessary to ensure the stability and longevity of SBAE programming. Through the lens of teacher resilience, this qualitative study sought to answer the question: What individual…

Despite a voluminous literature addressing English language teaching, the explorations focused on knowledge-building are rather limited in number. This is particularly the case with China's tertiary English education. Unlike existing research, this study investigated Chinese college English teachers' knowledge-building about rhetorical figures by…

The childhood national policy in Colombia recognizes the importance of quality in early childhood education (ECE). In this context, the government of the district of Bogota (2012-2016) proposed the program "Quality preschool in the Public Educational System" to expand the coverage of early education and provide comprehensive care to…

Vietnam's Ministry of Education and Training issued a new general education curriculum and Getting-to-know-English for Grades 1 and 2. Teachers are crucial to implementing Getting-to-know-English for Grades 1 and 2. However, teacher agency has been understudied, despite recent studies in Vietnam. These studies examined teacher agency in executing…

This article explores how preschool teachers, over time, collectively manage teaching as a new part of their mission. The study's empirical data consist of two related but temporally separated sets of data containing collegial discussions among preschool teachers; talks during a development process and group interviews with the same preschool…

This article surveys current management ideals of higher education institutions, and our analytical focus is on the balance between line management and faculty self-governance. It presents an empirical study of evolving governance structures including all 31 public sector higher education institutions in Sweden. The point of departure is the…

Research on the role of teacher agency has been growing significantly during the last decade. Agentic teachers act purposefully and constructively to direct their professional development and contribute to the quality of education, especially in rural areas. Professional development is mutually constituted between teachers and socio-cultural…

Recent legislation restricting the topics teachers may discuss with students raises the issue of what role the teacher should play in society. We argue that this legislative scrutiny of teachers is symptomatic of an aversion to defining what a teacher is. We argue that, though a reluctance to provide an explicit definition of "teacher"…

Stigma and the absence of disability-informed systems and policies prevent autistic employees' success in a variety of workplaces. While studies have examined diverse organizational cultures and environments for support of autistic workers, in higher education, autism scholarship has focused almost exclusively on students and disability culture on…

This research study examines the mindsets, actions, and relationships needed to feel, foster, and further agency in education. DreamHouse 'Ewa Beach (DreamHouse) is Hawai'i's newest and fastest growing public school on O'ahu. This paper shares how teachers at DreamHouse experience teacher agency in their professional work environment. Agency is…

Band directors have a strong sense of the traditions of band when they begin teaching. They learned these traditions as students in band and through music education coursework. They also have unique personal histories that influence the ways in which they perpetuate or alter these traditions. The variety of personal and professional experiences…