Graduate Studies, UNL

 

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

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First Advisor

Lauren Gatti

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Committee Members

Jenelle Reeves, Jillian Harpster, Sarah Zuckerman

Department

Teaching, Curriculum, and Learning

Date of this Version

4-27-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Citation

A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy

Major: Teaching, Curriculum, and Learning

Under the supervision of Professor Lauren Gatti

Lincoln, Nebraska, May 2026

Comments

Copyright 2026, Elizabeth K. Boyle. Used by permission

Abstract

As an academic coach in a large, Midwestern middle school, I noticed an influx of teachers with years of prior experience at the elementary or high school levels being hired to work with students in grades six through eight. Because they were already veteran teachers, they were not assigned mentorship, yet there were aspects of working in a middle-school setting that effectively “re-noviced” them (Hanuscin et al., 2020).

Knowing that cookie-cutter approaches to professional development and learning often do not meet the needs of adult learners, I sought information that would guide what professional growth opportunities could be provided to these experienced practitioners that would help make their transition to middle-level teaching more smooth. Consequently, I conducted a qualitative case study to examine the nature of their re-novicing and to identify the ways in which their prior expertise showed up in this new middle-level environment. Across two cases with six participants, I used the content analysis method to derive themes from the cases. The findings revealed that relationships with colleagues; relating to students; classroom management; curricular, pedagogical, and content knowledge; and aspects of school logistics including student and community demographics all had some re-novicing effects for the participants. While classroom management and engagement arose as an area of strength in expertise for former elementary school teachers, content and curricular knowledge were the commanding strengths for former high school teachers.

Implications for this study include insights into the tensions that may arise between co-workers as a result of an experienced practitioner’s need for both autonomy and a sense of competency in the middle-level environment, clarify considerations for instructional leadership teams as they welcome these veteran teachers into their spaces, and illuminate the need for a new way of thinking about teaching in the middle grades.

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