Understanding Teacher Identity Construction: Professional Experiences of Becoming Indonesian Montessori Teachers

Abstract

This study sought to investigate the identity construction of Indonesian Montessori teachers. The research was done in two Montessori schools in Yogyakarta: Cosmic School and Universe School (pseudonyms). The participants involved in this research were eight teachers in total. The data gathering process employed questionnaire, classroom observation, interview, and written reflections. The findings have shed a light on the ways teachers develop their identities within Montessori’s values and principles that they reflect and implement in their daily teaching practice. The findings of the research portrayed that there were four major salient principles influencing the identity formation of becoming Montessori teachers. They were movement and cognition, choice, interest, and teacher ways and child ways. Those principles and values were becoming teachers’ guidance of creating professional working ethos. Montessori principles also influenced the teachers in the ways they perceived and treated the students. This study also revealed the undertaken agencies to hold identity as Montessori teachers. There were three broad themes to explain their agencies. They entailed the essence of building communication between teacher and parents, the significance of community support, and the importance of being well-prepared teachers. Based on the findings and discussion, some recommendations for future studies are also presented.

International Teacher Identity Construction: A Story of An Afghan International Student

“…Therefore, research on the identity construction of a non-native international teacher in Indonesia was needed to conduct. The third previous research was entitled Understanding Teacher Identity Construction: Professional Experiences of Becoming Indonesian Montessori Teachers (Siswanto & Kuswandono, 2020). The findings showed that salient principles were influencing the identity formation of the teachers.…”

Exploring Teachers' Resilience in Indonesian Efl Learning Contexts

“…This contention is resonated well with the major finding of previous EFL teachers' resilience and self-reflection study conducted by Shirazizadeh and Tajik (2019) revealed that educational institutions needed to commission Iranian EFL teachers to conduct more exhaustive self-reflections after conducting particular teachinglearning processes to downgrade their stress and burnout levels, enable them to be effective decision-makers, and foster their resilience levels. In another coincident study, Siswanto and Kuswandono (2020) also discovered that through selfreflection, EFL teachers' teaching-learning ventures would be empowered fully in terms of getting more sensible notions to conduct more meaningful learning activities and improve their professional areas concurrently. The major identical similarity between the existent and prior research findings concerning EFL teachers' resilience is critical self-reflection and prudent emotional controls not merely just allow the second EFL teacher to promote more meaningful teachinglearning activities for his learners but also make more meaning throughout all challenging teaching venture transforming him into more qualified and compassionate educators.…”

The Roles of English Teacher Forum (MGMP) in Indonesia Towards the Teacher Professional Development

“…Therefore, it might help them find a new method to be used in their class by having discussions and sharing experiences. Besides, Siswanto and Kusswandono (2020) found in the study that the teacher was helped to encounter their challenges and problems by the programs and training that the community has been set. Further, Nurhayati (2018) also mention in the study that doing a communicative collaboration with others would impact positively their practical knowledge and professional skills.…”

“…Monica and Kuswandono (2019) also found in their study that the follow-up done by MGMP as a monitoring action is considered an absence. Therefore, the CAR as one of the in-service training methods should be implemented and followed after by reflective learning to make the teacher be able to reflect on what they have done in the classes before and after the training (Lestariningsih et al, 2018;Siswanto & Kusswandono, 2020).…”