More Than Flags on a Field: Understanding the Community of Pedagogical and Philosophical Practice of Color Guard Instructors

The purpose of this longitudinal mixed methods study was to explore what high school color guard instructors in the San Antonio, Texas area currently know about teaching and pedagogy, and how they see themselves as educators. This study was comprised of an initial survey sent to color guard instructors in the area, followed by a case study of three participants. Findings were interpreted through Wenger's (1998) community of practice framework and suggest that color guard instructors act as teachers in classrooms, possess some solid foundational practices, but lack a dynamic understanding of all pedagogical processes. This is likely due to the competitive focus of its governing organizations, as most developmental materials currently available to instructors focus on content knowledge and show design at the expense of pedagogy. The results suggest professional development should be designed and offered to support these non-traditional educators, and that current communities of practice that support color guard should evolve to do so.