A naturalistic inquiry into the knowledge, skills, and personal qualities of early childhood resource consultants as agents of change

This naturalistic investigation described the knowledge, skills and personal qualities demonstrated by early childhood resource consultants as agents of change when preschool children with special developmental, physical, and/or social-emotional needs were included in community-based early childhood settings. Based on understandings of educational change in a postmodern era and social-psychological perspectives of individual change, this study explored the dilemmas, challenges, and struggles of resource consultants as they sought to influence change in teacher practice. Ethnographic methodologies of data collection and analysis were used to consider complex interactions from the phenomenological perspective of the participants. These interactions were viewed as they naturally occurred within the social context of the organization. Data were collected for two case studies through (a) audio-taped recordings of consultative interactions that included resource consultants, supervisors, teachers, resource teacher, parents, and/or therapist, and (b) in-depth, semi-structured interviews of two resource consultants, five teachers and one resource teacher involved in change. In the first case, a resource consultant supported a teacher at a preschool summer program to include a child who was reported to be exhibiting out of control, aggressive, and often bizarre behaviors. In the second case, a preschool child with special physical and developmental needs was included in a group child care centre with the support of a resource consultant. Four categories of consultant characteristics emerged from the data: knowledge of consultation, knowledge of the process of change, interpersonal effectiveness, and leadership ability. A cross-case comparison identified themes critical to understanding the resource consultant's experience as an agent of change. These themes demonstrated how resource consultants work within the sociopolitical structures in early childhood settings to support change. The resource consultants found they were able to influence teachers' attitudes, beliefs and feelings and enhance teachers' perceived behavioral control and teaching efficacy with children with special needs. In doing so, however, the resource consultants struggled with how to empower teachers to change without using hierarchical powers to impose change on them. Key characteristics of change agents included their ability to form trusting relationships with teachers, to acknowledge and build upon teachers' existing skills, to manage conflict, to model and coach specialized instructional strategies using regular classroom activities, and to maintain a friendly and flexible stance. In promoting change in teacher practice the consultant's knowledge of the consultative process and knowledge of the change process were shown to interact with the consultant's interpersonal effectiveness and leadership ability. Four change agent styles have been articulated from this analysis: facilitative style, empathic listener style, directive style, and collaborative style. It was found that each consultant exhibited several change agent styles. I have argued that change agent style is situational and may vary and shift as the knowledge, skills and personal qualities of the consultant are differentially applied depending on organizational factors and teacher issues present in each case. The implications of these findings on the professional development of early childhood teachers and resource consultants are considered.