Critical change : a grounded theory study of teacher experience following involvement in critical incidents

Abstract

This volume begins with a meta-ethnography which synthesises some documented experiences from teachers who had been involved in 'critical incidents' resulting in bereavement, loss and grief within their school communities. The final synthesis of the experiences from a selection of papers was presented in a line of argument synthesis (LOA) as a model which attempts to illustrate three discrete elements which interacted with one another - the nature of the incident; the psycho-social conflicts negotiated by the teacher and the elements of their professional identity which were drawn out through the being involved in the incident. The final section of this volume presents a piece of empirical research which was undertaken to either confirm, change or refute the tentative model presented in the meta-ethnography. The initial research from the meta-ethnography suggested that the issue and underlying feelings of how to best support a child or colleague following a critical incident was a powerful but unspoken concern for many teachers. The empirical research used a series of semi-structured interviews to give participants an opportunity to explore their experience of being involved in a critical incident. The data from the interviews was then analysed using the grounded theory of Strauss and Corbin (1990) which allowed for a more inductive approach to the participants' data and the tentative model. The new data from the analysis confirmed and changed aspects of the tentative findings of the meta-ethnography model with each of the three elements being renamed Critical Incident Expression, Core Conflict and Core Identity. The empirical data also changed the way that the model functioned, moving from a linear progression to a fluid and interactive one. The model is proposed as tool for facilitating teachers' discussion of their experience of critical incidents. Between these two sections, I have presented a chapter where the theoretical underpinnings and epistemological decisions of the research are discussed alongside the practical and ethical considerations of undertaking original work.