Lithuania's women teachers' perception of socialization and cultural place: does it affect practice?

ENMy dissertation studies a sample of women teachers in Lithuania to investigate the hypothesis that socialization and cultural expectations may affect practice and their inclusion in the educational reform movement. Lithuania has undergone immense economic, political, and social changes since it reestablished its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. I witnessed these changes during ten summers when I worked with teachers there. Research for my Qualifying Paper revealed many contradictions in the way women teachers reported their place within the evolving society, their practice, and their participation in the educational reform movement. This led me to expand my research and consider the complexities of the possible connections between teachers' self-perceptions, their practice, and their role in any reform movement. My dissertation explores these issues by asking: (1) How do these Lithuanian women teachers generally describe their experiences as girls, as women, and as teachers in this changing society? (2) How do these Lithuanian women teachers view the relationship between cultural and societal expectations of women and their teaching practice? (3) What place do Lithuanian women teachers feel they have in the plans and their implementation within the educational reform movement? (4) What are the occupational pathways for women who chose teaching careers in Lithuania, and how are choices informed by gender roles?.To answer these questions, I (1) utilized the survey data I have collected from 304 teachers and provided basic, descriptive statistics of that sample, as well as subjected the open-ended responses to a qualitative analysis; (2) coded the in-depth responses of seven new interviewees using conceptual and time-ordered matrices and then a system of open-coding, to account for new categories and, (3) integrated the Qualifying Paper interview data into my dissertation using an expanded coding system. Benefits include: (1) basic descriptive data on thirteen Lithuanian women teachers, with narrative data in their own voices; (2) basic demographic statistics on 304 Lithuanian women teachers, and (3) increased understanding of possible connections between women's issues and their impact on teaching practice and why these women choose to teach.