A narrative study of an elementary school teacher's teaching approach with an Emphasis on the Role of Educational Theories

The aim of this study was to explore the teaching approach of an elementary school teacher focusing on the role of educational theories. Narrative inquiry was selected as the research methodology. As narrative inquiry focuses on the life of one or a few individual, this research focused on a single elementary school teacher as participant. In order to analyze the data obtained from narrative and semi-structured interviews, narrative analysis and analysis of narratives were used. In order to ascertain the validity of the research findings, member-check and triangulation methods were used. Straus and Corbin paradigmatic model was used as a technique for analysis of narratives. Findings revealed that the core category determining this teacher’s teaching approach was her beliefs formed under the influence of background experiences and teacher education courses. In the final analysis the strategy of the teacher involves selecting academic theories providing a background for this teacher to according to practical wisdom in the classroom. So the findings indicate that although different factors other than educational theories affect teacher’s approach, theories play a critical influence on teacher’s activity. So, the rigorous design of teacher education curriculum can help teachers perform informed action in classroom.