Stories of Teachers' Long-Term Experiences with the National Writing Project

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to utilize an interpretive design with narrative representation to explore the meaning-making of National Writing Project (NWP) participants regarding their long-term association with the NWP. The NWP is one long-standing professional development network that has been shown to impact teacher retention positively. Capturing the stories of educators will provide insight into how educators describe and make meaning of their continued professional development (CPD) with the NWP and how it relates to their long-term career satisfaction. Employing sociocultural theory and Relational Cultural Theory (RCT) as a framework for investigating the recursive nature of NWP CPD, the proposed research aims to illuminate the hows of teacher learning in NWP CPD experiences to inform the field on how to elevate teacher professionalism and dedication to the teaching career. The study fills a gap in the literature about CPD, focusing on the nuances of how teachers learn and grow instead of on the components of CPD. The work also begins to fill a methodological gap, utilizing new narrative data collection protocols to center teachers’ voices while also utilizing storytelling-as-research as data presentation