Sustaining Conversations for Rural North Dakota Language Arts Teachers

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the role conversation plays in sustaining rural North Dakota Language Arts teachers. This study examines the questions: What conversations are sustained rural North Dakota Language Arts teachers engaging in? and What role does conversation play in sustaining rural North Dakota Language Arts teachers? Six rural Language Arts teachers were interviewed about their experiences with conversation using the framework of the three different discourse communities as proposed by Australian researchers Tytler et al. for rural professional development: the local school community, the local community, and the subject-matter community. Tytler et al.’s framework was productive in this study to understand what conversations these six teachers were engaged in. However, as these conversations played a role in connecting these six teachers intellectually, emotionally, and locally, it emerged as helpful to think of a teacher as a person who is connected to three different communities for intellectual and emotional support.