A Qualitative Research on Chief Elementary Teachers'' Teaching Profession Life


Shin Min-Jeong

Major in Educational Administration
Graduate School of Education
Busan National University


Abstract

This research reveals characteristics of chief elementary teachers'' teaching profession life that results from who becomes a chief elementary teacher, what does he/she do, what limit does he/she experience, and what does he/she obtain from the process in order to expand the understanding of current elementary schools'' fields and provide an implication of teacher''s organization that will transform. In order to accomplish such goals, this research has set the following three questions: first, who becomes a chief elementary teacher and what process does he/she undergo? Second, how does a chief elementary teacher manage his/her work and what kind of limits does he/she encounter? Third, what does a chief elementary teacher feel and how does he/she change?
In order to answer the research questions, the research was conducted from march, 2013 to February, 2014 for about 12 months and the research methods were participation observation, interview and analysis of literature. Researchers of the research performed participation observation as absolute participants, and interview data analysis was performed by a series of steps suggested by Bogdan&Biklen (1982). Research participants were 8 teachers in Busan''s Y elementary school.
The conclusion of the research was this.
First of all, standards of becoming a chief elementary teacher were classified into teachers who had no choice, teachers who volunteered and those due to situation''s pressure and personal choice. Those who had no option can be divided into an model teacher type that always do their best and voluntarily perform tasks without anyone''s pressure and a docile type that do not cause any particular problem in management of classes and task promotion and obedient to administrators. Thoes who voluntarily became chief elementary teachers are divided into a pre-promotion type and a type that confirms his/her existence. A pre-promotion type is those who prepare for promotion and a type that confirms his/her existence is those who desire to confirm their existence by a chief elementary teacher''s status or role. Those who became chief elementary teachers due to pressure and personal choice are divided into those who are shrewd and smart, diligent, and passionate.
Next, a chief elementary teacher''s task can be divided into task and limitation in a big picture. Task is sub-divided into task in classroom, task in same grade''s laboratory, task in teacher''s room and task in principal''s room. A chief elementary teacher performs teaching, life guidance, management of same grade and personal work in a classroom, and does preside a same grade meeting, management of grades, information exchange among co-workers and counseling in same grade''s laboratory. In teacher''s room, tasks of creation of rapport with a vice principal, unofficial communication, scheduling with co-workers before a chief meeting and exchange of information are done and in principal''s room, participating a chief meeting is a main task. While performing such tasks, chief elementary teachers undergo limitations such as talking to a wall due to lack of communication with an administrator, becoming fair game among administrator and co-workers, sacrificing to accept all complains from the same grade and achieving a remarkable accomplishment in front of an administrator.
Third, fruits from experiencing as a chief elementary teacher can be divided into changes based on experiences and lessons from experiences. By experiencing as a chief elementary teacher, one is changed to understand administrator''s mind better, expand a viewpoint on schools and become flexible between people and people in an organization of school. A lesson from this experience is that one can be a meaningful member in the organization and seek one''s existence. Meanwhile, opinions that lessons that are negligible, despondency stemmed from big tasks and responsibilities compared to such negligible lessons and meaninglessness of discussing lessons as a chief elementary teacher are all included.
Last but not least, although the job is mandatory a chief elementary teacher both gains and loses through the experience. To those who want promotion, since it is an additional point category that is necessary for promotion, the job is mandatory and even to those who do want promotion, since one can experience how to actively participate and contribute to administrator and school management, the job is mandatory. Yet, loss are one lacks of time to study textbooks or prepare for classes due to a role of a chief elementary teacher and to have personal life. Therefore, based on what one''s preference on the experience of the job, it can be an either gain or loss for an individual. Even in an individual''s perspective, it is a matter of how meaningful one think of one''s experience as a chief teacher, so the experience can be explained as selective rather than required.

Keyword: Characteristics of chief elementary teachers'' teaching profession life, chief elementary teacher''s task, chief elementary teacher, teachers life, teachers culture