TITLE Unraveling a Web of Change: A Case Study of Factors Affecting the Self-Initiated Changes of One Sixth

A year-long naturalistic case study investigated teacher-initiated change efforts in language arts by examining the experiences and influences of a single sixth-grade teacher. The teacher was observed in multiple contexts (both in and out of her school), interacting with varying groups of individuals, not all of which were located within the district boundaries. Data included field notes with interpretive comments; audiotapes of class lessons and discussions; reflective pieces written by the teacher; classroom, school, and district documents; interviews with the focus teacher and other stakeholders (peers, administrators, parents, and children); and population data on the school and diitrict. Results indicated that (1) the teacher never truly acted alone in either planning or implementation of her language arts changes; (2) teacher-initiated change efforts were non-linear due to the social nature of plannin