Abstract:
This article is about professional teacher identity (PTI) formation of two
foundation phase (pre-primary and primary level) teachers in their first year
of teaching early science mathematics and technology (SMT) in two different
schools. The study used a qualitative research approach involving phenomenology
and case study method to illuminate factors that influence beginning teachers’
professional identity formation. Data was generated from different sources
for the purpose of triangulation, which included visual and written narratives,
observations and interviews. The article concludes by noting the complexity of the
‘makings’ of teachers, and how identity formation is connected to individual life
histories, the quality of initial teacher education, school context as well as national
context. These factors emerge as strong determinants of the kind of professional
teacher identities, which the two novice teachers develop in their first year of SMT
teaching, and the kind of teachers they aspire to become.
