Telling tales out of class: Exploring how the relationship between practice and praxis shapes the professional identity of in-service, undergraduate, trainee teachers

Abstract

Professional identity is a socially constructed concept, one we cannot physically measure, point to, see, touch or hear; yet we sense it in ourselves, even if it is not always clear what the identity is. Interwoven with professional identity, notions of ‘professionalism’, ‘re-professionalising’, ‘professionalisation’ and ‘raising professional standards’ have been common topics of debate surrounding teachers in the Further Education and Skills sector for many years.
Whilst ninety percent of teachers in the Further Education (FE) sector undertake Initial Teacher Education (ITE) on a part-time basis whilst in-service, little is written about their experiences and the role these experiences play in shaping their professional identity.
Primarily concerned with exploring the relationship between praxis and the professional identity of in-service, undergraduate trainee teachers, my research was designed to give voice to their experiences as they navigated their way through a part-time teacher education programme while working as full-time contracted teachers. Often these experiences are not articulated, and to a degree remain hidden. However, as a teacher educator I have been in the privileged position where trainee teachers have shared their stories with me.
In keeping with the interpretive methodology and the bricolage method of the research, to give voice to the participants’ experiences I have used the structure of vignettes to create layered stories that are rich in detail and characterisation, and allow for the juxtaposing of their individual and shared experiences to reveal the implicit significance of their stories.
The layered stories and discussion of findings in the thesis provide unique insight into the lived experiences of teachers in the hitherto largely neglected phase of in-service, undergraduate teachers in post-compulsory ITE.