The hidden professionals? An interview study of higher education-based teacher educators´ professional identity

Abstract

This article investigates teacher educators’ self-understanding by asking how they explain their professional identities as teacher educators, based on socialisation and further professional development. Teacher educators facilitate learning from the initial teacher education phase to in-service teachers’ further professional development. The data consists of thirteen qualitative semi-structured interviews and two focus-group interviews with teacher educators from two universities in Norway. Using Bryman’s four-stage approach of analysis, 15 categories were re-organised into three main categories: (1) Recruitment and socialisation, (2) Professional identity, and (3) Professional development. The findings illustrate that teacher educators have different understandings of being a professional. For some, their identity is rooted in the discipline in which they were educated. However, others have built identities as teacher educators supplementary to their primary careers. This knowledge has implications for how universities can and should support teacher educators in the development of their identities. This can apply to educational strategies, institutional leadership and the role of teacher educators themselves. Their further professional development can be facilitated by a clearer understanding and appreciation of this profession reflected in educational policy.

Developing the theoretical model of Chinese physical education teachers’ health communication competence: based on grounded theory

“…Each interview took 45-60 min and adhered to the guidelines established by the interview guidance on sports, exercise, and health (25,27,41): (1) the list of questions should be as concise as possible, incorporating probing questions to extract additional information from the participants and delve deeper into their accounts, responses, and stories. Our study's probing questions were developed based on the interview guidance provided by Clegg and Butryn (19) in the field of physical education (42).…”

“…Health communication plays a crucial role in promoting healthy lifestyles and enhancing public health literacy ( 1–3 ). Additionally, it serves as a focal point in academic discourse.…”

The Disappearing Identity of the Teacher Educator?

“…By contrast, Høydalsvik (2019) asks the question as to whether the professional identity of teacher educators is hidden. Høydalsvik (2019) takes professional identity to be aligned with a sense of personal identity, arguing less for a sense of shifting identity, rather a reconciliation of their personal sense of self with their new professional identity. The study that Høydalsvik carried out in Norway, where the expectation is that most teacher educators will be qualified to doctoral level, finds that whilst some teacher educators had reflected on their sense of professional identity, this was 'not necessarily visible to others' (2019, p103).…”

“…One discussion centred on the idea of not leaving the teacher identity behind. However, this could be problematic if the teacher educator does not embrace the evolution of their own professional identity, or in Høydalsvik's (2019) terms, if they did not reconcile their own understanding with their new role. Blustein and Noumair talk about a sociological perspective of self as 'anchored in a social context in which individuals derive a sense of self from their own subjective experiences ' (1996, p433).…”

“…Firstly, by reviewing the evolution of teacher educators and their professional identity (Davey, 2013). Secondly, by considering the contrasting perceptions of teacher education in different countries compared to the UK (Gunn, et.al, 2016, Høydalsvik, 2019. For example, the professional development of teacher educators appears to have a higher priority in some countries.…”