Growth of Empowerment in Career Science Teachers: Implications for Professional Development Presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, March 26, 2008 Mary Hobbs, Ph.D. University of Texas at Austin Graduate Research Assistant: Amy Moreland

Purpose of the Study The purpose is to study how teachers’ perceptions of their empowerment, as defined by six elements presented by Short (1992), change as a result of key events during their careers. Furthermore, the research looks at the interactions of these key events and searches for patterns and structures.

Definition of Empowerment The opportunity and confidence to act upon one’s ideas and to influence the way one performs in one’s profession. - Melenyzer (1990)

Six Dimensions of Teacher Empowerment - Short (1992) Autonomy Decision Making Impact Autonomy Decision Making Impact Professional Growth Self-efficacy Status Professional Growth Self-efficacy Status

Methodology  The teachers begin by telling their stories and drawing a behavior over time graph which chronicles their experiences of empowerment  Subsequently each constructs an overlay graph showing his/her perceptions of experiences with the dimensions of empowerment

Sample Empowerment Graph

The Empowerment Cycle

Model: Phases of Empowerment Phase 1: Initiating Empowerment Phase 2: Increasing Empowerment Phase 3: Sustaining Empowerment

Phase 1: Initiating Empowerment  Struggling with lack of preparation yet growing in confidence  Learning what to teach and how to teach it

Phase 2: Increasing Empowerment  Increasing awareness of professional development opportunities  Growing feelings of self-efficacy are supported by real evidence of student success  Being challenged by the Teaching Context - students, principals, and working conditions  Experiencing involvement in decision-making groups

Phase 3: Sustaining Empowerment  Appreciating learning as a lifelong process  Being admired and respected  Making connections to organized groups  Impacting education on the campus & off  Redefining self-efficacy

Implications of the Study The most effective professional development offerings would target teacher needs and interests as influenced by the three phases.

Researcher Contact Information Mary E. Hobbs, Ph.D. Coordinator for Science Initiatives Texas Regional Collaboratives University of Texas at Austin James P. Barufaldi, Ph.D. Principal Investigator Texas Regional Collaboratives University of Texas at Austin Amy L. Moreland, M.S. Graduate Research Assistant University of Texas at Austin

Atlas TI Qualitative Research Analysis (screenshot)

Coded Critical Events