| The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the planning processes of six experienced high school English teachers. The focus was on the planning and preparation processes they used, how they conceptualized their planning, and the role of mental imaging in planning. Qualitative methods were used to generate, analyze, and report the data. Data were generated over an eight-month period from 60 in-depth interviews, 12 classroom observations, an examination of assorted planning documents, principal interviews, and a review of teacher-kept planning journals.; The findings were reported in a multiple case study format, with each case report providing descriptions of the planning processes of each individual participant. The findings indicated that these six teachers had unique conceptions and processes for planning and preparing their instruction. Some teachers saw planning as a creative endeavor while others saw it as a systematic process. Some teachers wrote detailed instructional plans while others rarely if ever documented their plans or referred to existing planning documents.; All of these teachers used some sort of mental planning or mental imaging when preparing their instruction. In this study, this topic was broken down into four distinct categories: searching, mulling, storehousing, and rehearsing.; The themes which emerged in this study included the use of mandated curriculum topics, textbooks and other resources, types of plans and schedules, student characteristics, teacher characteristics, multi-layered plans, views of and uses of objectives, purposes of detailed lesson plans, the role of experience, hindrances to plans, and the teachers' reflections on their own planning.; This research fills a gap in the existing literature by allowing for an understanding of teacher planning from the perspectives of the respondents themselves. These findings could assist instructional designers in developing planning models of better use for classroom teachers, which could then be included in teacher education programs. School administrators may choose to rethink their requirements for weekly lesson plans from experienced teachers. Also, these findings may encourage a push for greater utilization of technology in schools. Communicating this new understanding could help to better prepare teachers for the complexities of planning and enacting effective instruction. |
