Becoming a Change Agent: Residency as Pathway to Accomplished Teaching

Abstract

A change agent is a person equipped to transform their environment meaningfully. This qualitative survey study examined the extent to which graduates of residency-based teacher education programs act as change agents across different stages of a career. The qualitative survey study used convenience sampling to gather data from 23 alumni of a full-year, graduate, residency-based teacher education program. Participants responded to questions aligned with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards to determine how the residency program prepared graduates to be agents of change in their learning communities. Qualitative data was analyzed using a constant comparative method. Results indicated that alumni become agents of change, but this level of professionalism takes more than ten years to develop.