Building Belonging Through Coherence: How Structural Features of a Reggio Emilia-Inspired School Support Teacher Identity and Community

Abstract

This study seeks to understand how a structured school model can foster belonging in early childhood educators. Over the course of one semester, twelve participants from an early childhood education center were interviewed and observed to gain insight into how their school's instructionally coherent framework supports the teachers' sense of belonging. Social Identity Theory was used as the guiding theory for understanding the experiences observed. Results indicate that a common instructional framework was used effectively by school leaders to facilitate belonging through cognitive and relational processes involved in identity formation.