Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Education (Ph.D)

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

First Advisor

Xiaojun Chen

Second Advisor

Nancy Morabito

Third Advisor

Daniel Ness

Abstract

Increasingly complex, diverse, and inclusive classrooms require the direction of a highly skilled teacher who is committed to continual professional growth. Although many research studies have addressed professional growth and identity development among pre-service and early career teachers, few have investigated the long-term evolution of professional identity. Understanding the influences and characteristics that shape professional identity throughout the career can yield important insight into why some teachers continue to thrive and grow while others stagnate. The purpose of this multiple case study is to explore the evolution of the professional identity of elementary school teachers (K-5) in the northeastern United States, with a focus on the influence of the online educational marketplace (OEM) on lesson design. It uses lenses constructed from Dewey's Theory of Experience (1938), Knowles' (2020) Theory of Andragogy, and Mezirow's (1991) Transformation Theory to consider the educative or mis-educative nature of OEM experiences in relation to evolving professional identity and lesson design. It also uses elements of the 4A Framework for Evaluating Digital Instructional Materials (Rice & Ortiz, 2021), including accessibility, active engagement, advocacy for inclusion, and accountability and of the Framework for 21st Century Learning (2019), including creativity, critical thinking, communication, collaboration are used to describe students' (potentially) transformative experiences. Observations of lesson planning sessions, individual interviews, and artifacts document the professional life history, current practices, and continuing career paths of five veteran elementary teachers. The study concludes with a focus group where all participants discuss the analytic narratives developed from the data to ensure accuracy and enhance participant validation.

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