Everyday life and everyday learning: the ways in which pre-service teacher education curriculum can encourage personal dimensions of teacher identity

This article presents and discusses the findings of a research project, the main objective of which is to identify curriculum components that promote personal development as a nuclear part of teacher professional identity formation through pre-service teacher education. Curriculum is viewed as an ecological scenario with different subsystems and both as formal and informal. Identity formation is conceived as an ever-provisional result of a double transaction: the biographical one and the relational one. The curricula of four different historical periods of pre-service teacher education in Portugal and the professional identity of teachers trained within them were characterised through collection and analysis of documents and biographical narratives. Crossing results from the four periods, the quality of school climate emerges as an important variable to the quality of the teachers’ identity. The lifelong learning ethos seems to emerge when the training curriculum connects everyday learning with everyday life, namely by urging the students’ involvement in school life, peer learning activities and peer and teacher educators’ informal learning activities.     

Constructing a new professional identity: Career change into teaching

The presence of career change students in teacher education programs is neither new nor unusual. Despite this, there is a lack of research into the experiences of such people as student teachers. In this paper, the experiences of one career change student teacher, Michelle, and the ways in which she constructed her new professional identity as a student teacher, are examined. Using the theoretical framework of learning and identity within communities of practice developed by Lave and Wenger (1991) and the notion of career change student teachers as expert novices, Michelle's experiences are examined in detail to gain a greater understanding of how, as a career changer, she ‘became’ a student teacher. The research on which this paper is based found that as a career change student, Michelle needed to reconcile her various identities in order to construct her new professional identity in the context of teacher education. Findings were analysed and discussed with reference to Lave and Wenger’s (1991) framework of legitimate peripheral participation and Wenger’s (1998) communities of practice, and with recourse to the relevant literature.     

基于教师专业成长的叙事研究

叙事是人们感受生活和经验，徜徉于故事的方式。生活世界中的叙事研究由来已久。学校教育叙事研究对于教师专业成长具有重要的意义。教师叙事研究的实践主要体现在三个层面：课堂现场叙事，教师成为倾听；教师自我叙事，教师成为反思；教师合作叙事，教师作为合作。     

Relationship Between Flow and Athletic Identity: The Case of Three Elite Sportsmen

This study analyzes the personal narrative of flow experiences across three elite sportsmen within their particular sport autobiographical contexts. Using a holistic formal structure analysis to examine the participants’ self-narratives, five major themes emerged: (a) early socialization as the basis of a strong athletic identity, (b) withdrawal from sports as a threat to athletic identity, (c) the dramatic weight of the narrative plots within which the experiences of flow are inserted, (d) biographical sporting flow accounts, and (e) silences and devaluations in flow narrative. The results of the narrative analyses show a close relationship between the flow experiences and athletic identity. This study concludes that, in this case, the narratives of flow experiences have had an ontological role as they served to assert the participants’ threatened athletic identity. Hence, studying narratives as practices is a useful way to better understand not only the internal coherence of the narrative fragments into which flow experiences are inserted, but also the role that they play regarding the autobiographical narrative into which these are inserted.     

Teachers' biographies and educational development: a Kenyan case study

Over the last decade there has been a growing interest among academics in the lives and work of teachers in industrialised countries. Many of these studies have sought to understand how teachers perceive their work and how they develop their particular professional identities. There is a growing recognition of the impact of teachers' own biographies on their training and on curriculum development and implementation. This paper examines the perspectives of a group of Kenyan educators, advisors and inspectors, from different regions, who have taken part in a national project designed to strengthen primary education through the in-service training of teachers. The aim is to examine the potential of biographical research to provide new insights into the processes of educational development. The participants in the research reflect on their own career development and life histories; on their identities, both professional and personal; and on the impact of these on their work. Drawing on an issue which divided the group, that of gender equality, the paper considers some of the biographical and cultural factors which permit and restrict development.     

新教师成长研究综述

新教师成长研究的蓬勃兴起源于教师教育的发展和课程改革的需要,并且受到新兴社科理论的影响。其研究内容涉及从学生到教师身份转变的经历、影响教师信念和行为的社会因素,新教师的思考认知过程及其行动结果。研究发现新教师的成长在诸如理想与现实的差距、职业身份认同的发展、社会化进程的影响以及文化差异的冲击等方面呈现出多维的、动态的特征。     

Engagement with a teaching career – how a group of Finnish university teachers experience teacher identity and professional growth

The aim of this qualitative study was to identify teachers’ ways of experiencing their identity and development challenges as teachers in the social and professional context of university. Identity and development as a teacher were examined based on interviews and drawings of career paths collected from a group of university teachers representing diverse scientific fields at one research-intensive university in Finland. Based on the findings, a typology of teacher identities and classification of development themes were constructed, illustrating the experiences and drawing on the themes found in the data and comparing them to Huberman’s teachers’ career cycle as well as Åkerlind’s views on university teachers’ changes. The findings showed that those who have reached a goal-reflective and stabilised teacher identity recognise development challenges, especially in the areas of self-development and facilitation of student learning, while those who have a constructive-conflicting or unsolved teacher identity struggle with the many pressures of teaching practice and reaching teacher comfort. The learning trajectories of the studied university teachers were varied and lasted considerably longer than suggested by teachers’ career cycle views.     

Getting the story, understanding the lives: From career stories to teachers' professional development

To understand teachers' professional development, the career stories of 10 experienced Flemish (Belgian) Primary School teachers were collected. The analysis of these narrative data culminated in the reconstruction of a professional self and a subjective educational theory, both conceived of as indicators for the professional development. These general concepts were differentiated to develop a conceptual framework for understanding teachers' professional development from their career stories. The comparative analysis of the stories revealed two important recurring themes, the strive for job stability and the feelings of vulnerability for the teacher. In this paper the “biographical perspective” is depicted as a general theoretical approach, and as a concrete research procedure for data collection and analysis. The author concludes that a narrative-biographical approach constitutes a viable perspective for understanding professional development from the subjective viewpoint of the teachers.     

Voices of Identity in a Chicana Teacher’s Occupational Narratives of the Self

The research area of teacher narrative inquiry has identified links between the personal and professional identities of teachers. Although teacher narrative inquiry takes narrative texts as its data, insufficient attention has been given to the functions of narratives as forms of discourse that are utilized in the construction of identity. In the present study, the concept of narrative identity guided the analysis of a Chicana teacher’s personal experience narratives. The analysis of six narratives told during interviews conducted across a year’s time examined how the voices in the narratives, communicated through reported speech, represented the relational, discursive, and ideological social worlds within which the Chicana teacher’s occupational identity was shaped. The reported speech in the Chicana teacher’s narratives quoted the voices of significant Others, such as her family members and the parents of her students. The Chicana teacher’s narratives crafted her response to the tensions and challenges that these voices represented to her emerging occupational identity as a bilingual education teacher. In her narratives, the Chicana teacher also constructed continuity across the distinct phases of her occupational identity as a bilingual teacher that included transitions from college student, to novice bilingual teacher, to experienced bilingual teacher. René Galindo is an Associate Professor in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Colorado at Denver and has a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. His recent publications on language policy, bilingual education, and immigration politics have appeared in the Harvard Latino Law Review, The Journal of Latinos and Education, and Latino Studies.     

Critical incidents in pre-service EFL teachers’ identity construction process

ABSTRACT

Knowledge and human identity are socially constructed phenomena. Like other aspects of human identity, teacher identity is shaped through social influences. Some of the social influences that contribute to teacher identity development happen through critical incidents that teachers or teacher candidates experience. The current study, adopting a critical incident analysis perspective, attempts to ascertain the nature of the critical incidents that 49 pre-service teachers of EFL have experienced throughout their English learning process. It also tries to uncover the effects of these critical incidents on their English learning and teacher identity. The data for the research was collected using a Critical Incident Form developed by the researchers and focus group interviews. The findings indicated that pre-service ELT teachers’ early learning experiences included certain critical incidents. An inductive quantitative analysis of these incidents revealed that they can be categorized into three themes: people, context, and outcome. Exploring the nature of critical incidents and their role in the construction of English language teacher identity will hopefully be a benefit to teachers and teacher educators.     

Developing different identity trajectories: lessons from the Chinese teachers

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate how three Chinese teachers developed their teacher identities in a reform context. Drawing upon data from a larger social historical study, the work-life narratives of the three teachers at different stages of their careers were used as case studies to showcase three types of teacher identity development trajectories, namely, learning to be both professional educator and subject teaching expert，learning to be subject teaching expert, and navigating to balance between educator and subject teacher. This study also investigated the factors that influence identity development trajectories of teachers and develops a conceptual framework for understanding teacher identity development in China. The framework shows that Chinese teachers’ exertion of their individual agency is embedded in the institutional context. Meanwhile, interpersonal relationships can work as a buffer to alleviate the tension between the institution and individual teachers. The study also shows the ways in which Chinese teachers’ exert their agency when developing their identities. The findings have significant implications for teacher education in terms of how to develop positive teacher identity over the course of a teacher’s career.     

Primary teacher identity,commitment and career in performative school cultures

The research reported here maps changes in primary teachers' identity, commitment and perspectives and subjective experiences of occupational career in the context of performative primary school cultures. The research aimed to provide in‐depth knowledge of performative school culture and teachers' subjective experiences in their work of teaching. Themes in the data reveal changed commitments and professional identities. The teachers who had an initial vocational commitment and strong service ethic were the older teachers in the sample. While some of the younger teachers expressed vocationalism in the form of wanting ‘to make a difference’, they also stressed the importance of time compatibility for family‐friendly work and child care. In the ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ of school life a number of factors supported some of the teachers' initial commitments, thus, providing ‘satisfiers’ in their work. However, some factors impacted negatively on teacher commitment. The psychic rewards of teaching provided the main basis of commitment and professional work satisfaction. Teacher strategies in performative school cultures highlighted the impact and saliency of testing regimes. There was evidence, however, of teacher mediation of policy and their investment in a more creative professional identity in their involvement in nurturing programmes and creative projects. Whether the schools and teachers developed creative approaches to increase test scores or to ameliorate the worst effects of testing they demanded increased effort and commitment from the teachers. Teachers in the contemporary context, who had in many cases experienced a career in another occupation prior to teaching, seemed much more adept and realistic in both recognising and managing their range of parallel commitments and identities. They have become more strategic and political in defending their self‐identities. Some evidence suggests their priorities have been to hold on to their humanistic values and their self‐esteem, while adjusting their commitments.     

Insights from teacher leavers: push and pull in career development

This article examines the career pathways of US teacher leavers, individuals who have voluntarily left classroom teaching prior to retirement. Based on the perspective that teachers construct their own career pathways through an ongoing negotiation among intrinsic and extrinsic factors, this research captures the experiences of 24 teacher leavers from geographically diverse regions of the United States. Using life history interviews, this study inquires into individuals’ experiences before, during, and after classroom teaching. Unexpectedly, only one of the 24 individuals initially intended to enter teaching. Data also indicate that teachers’ career pathways were shaped by dynamics pushing and pulling their careers into and out of the classroom. These life history interviews suggest that teachers were pushed and pulled into teaching, pushed and pulled out of teaching, and pushed and pulled around their passions. The trajectories of these teacher leavers, who have now moved into fields as diverse as non-classroom education, medicine, government, and caregiving, suggest important theoretical and practical implications for understanding and shaping teachers’ careers in today’s workforce.     

教师专业实践能力的三维构成

教师专业实践能力在本质上是社会建构的,而教师是其中的关键建构者。教师视角中的专业实践能力是对教师专业实践的最真切表达,体现了教师对专业生活的反思性理解和有意义建构。研究表明,教师所理解的专业实践能力主要由三个维度构成:受限的、扩展的和元能力。该能力架构折射出当前教师教育中理论与实践的隔阂、限制的和扩展的专业实践能力间的张力等若干值得关注的问题。     

A case study of early career secondary teachers’ perceptions of their preparedness for teaching: lessons from Australia and Spain

This paper presents an international comparison of Australian and Spanish secondary teachers’ perceptions about the effectiveness of their pre-service education and their learning as in-service teachers. It aims to identify, firstly, the extent to which beginning teachers believe they are prepared for their careers through their teacher training and, secondly, what teachers have learned as practicing teachers. A qualitative case study was conducted to uncover whether similar issues raised by early career teachers were identified in different contexts. Data were collected through interviews with secondary teachers (N = 11) from Australia and Spain in their third year of full-time teaching. Findings suggest similar positive perceptions towards their practicum experiences, transition to beginning teachers and professional development. However, differences were found in their early career experiences regarding professional learning and their development of identity. Implications of the study are discussed by identifying strategies to improve pre-service education for secondary teachers.     

多重认同叠合机制:新教师专业发展角色冲突的和解路径

新时代教育改革情境中新教师的多重认同彰显了个体与时代命运的深度关联。本研究运用质性研究方法探究当前时代新教师面临的多重角色挑战,揭示他/她们在"成为一名教师"过程中的困境与互动,进而展现其专业发展过程中的冲突与和解。研究发现,当"多重角色"和"角色丛"交织时,个案新教师经历了角色冲突到角色融合的复杂演化过程。新教师受到工作压力、专业发展、重要他人、身份归属、职业认知、地区教育组织的培训及其政策等多方面影响,建构出多重认同叠合机制。该机制呈现阶段性动态变化的复杂性特征,同时存在"内生与外生、积极与消极、调节与制约、能动与结构"的共生状态,相互之间不断转化并促进新教师的专业发展。     

Beginning teacher attrition: a question of identity making and identity shifting

While there is discrepancy about the actual percentage of early career teachers that leave teaching in their first five years, one consistent discovery in a number of countries is that attrition is high for early career teachers. I became curious about early career teacher attrition as I watched colleagues leave the profession that they thought was a lifelong calling. In order to inquire into this phenomenon, I moved through a three-stage research process. First, I engaged in writing a series of stories about my experiences as a beginning teacher. Using autobiographical narrative inquiry, I then inquired into the stories in order to retell them looking for resonances across the stories. Secondly, I conducted a review of the literature, analyzing the studies to identify how the problem of early career teacher attrition was conceptualized. I identified two dominant problem frames: a problem frame situated within the individual and a problem frame situated in the context. Lastly, I offered a different conceptualization of the phenomenon of early career teacher attrition that draws on my autobiographical narrative inquiry and the literature review. I frame the problem of teacher attrition, not as a personal or a contextual problem frame, but as a problem of teacher identity making and identity shifting.     

Heading for the Top — the career experiences of a group of women deputies in one LEA

This paper focuses upon the career attitudes and experiences of a group of women deputies in one LEA. It sets out to explore their construct of ‘career’ and asks, in particular, whether this matches that of the ‘career ambitious’ teacher sketched out in the research literature. The findings, based on in‐depth interviews, suggest that this is not the case. Few of the women deputies, for instance, claimed to have followed specific career plans or consciously participated in ‘career games’. A number of possible explanations are explored, and some interesting tensions noted. Does it perhaps hinge on the external circumstances that impact on women's careers? Is it an expression of women's allegiance to a value system which defines ‘career success’ in quite different ways? Is it a consequence of the nature of the role itself and the separate career track followed by senior women teachers in this authority? The biographical accounts of these deputies provide no easy answers, but rather serve to illustrate the complexity of women's career experiences.