Date of Award

1-1-2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. Nobuya Inagaki

Second Advisor

Dr. Heather Crandall

Abstract

The 21st century has driven many changes in the classroom and to the teacher of yesterday. Existing teacher identities are in limbo as educational systems morph from dominant beliefs and ideologies to meet the new demands of a knowledge economy. The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers’ perceptions of their communication practices as 21st century educators. In particular, research focuses on teachers’ views of the province of Alberta’s vision of “teacher” as an architect of learning, and is explored via semi-structured personal interviews and classroom observations. Although there is ample research on teacher identity and issues related to teacher identity, there is little information to date examining new metaphors for teachers in the 21st century. The symbolic interactionist frame perspective offers a lens on how teachers use language, meaning, thought, and performance in current and future identity construction. The results indicate that teachers do not share common perceptions of the architect of learning metaphor, which in turn has implications for future development and performance of the new role. Continued dialogue on the issue is recommended.

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