Making Sense of Competing Constructs of Teacher As Professional (Case Study‪)‬

Abstract. This paper presents a comparative case study involving eight teachers from two Reggio-inspired schools that focuses on how teachers negotiate a Reggio-inspired approach in the American context. This study first identifies the struggles these eight teachers faced in applying the philosophical beliefs borrowed from this Italian-born approach. With the assumption that roles and identity are socially defined and sustained, this study pays particular attention to how participants negotiate two competing constructs of professional identity; one being participants' own cultural construct and the other being their Reggio-inspired construct of teacher as professional. Findings from this study suggest that one of the core aspects of the Reggio Emilia approach--building relationships with parents--can prove to be complex and problematic for teachers working within the American context. These competing constructs often caused a power struggle with parents who were unfamiliar with the Reggio Emilia philosophy. As participants received negative feedback from parents, they responded by negotiating documentation as an accountability measure and by using parent education to create a shared vision. **********