Abstract:
Utilising a qualitative methodology approach and a case study research design this study set
out to explore the influence of ‘own teachers’ on beginner teacher professional identities. The
research design borrowed from the idea of a palimpsest, (Diamond & Mullen, 1999). Data
comprised a mix of semi-structured interviews, field notes and a researcher journal. Ten
participants, representative of four different racial groups in South Africa were included. Data
was analysed by means of the thematic content analysis method. This study contributed to the
body of knowledge on beginner teachers’ professional identity on two levels. The first level
pertains to the methodological contribution of this study in terms of the interrelatedness with
which particular methodological constructs were applied. The second level of contribution
involves four novel theoretical findings that came to the fore in this study. First, findings
showed how participants (beginner teachers) connected with fictional characters from various
types of media and substitute those characters as role models in the place of ‘real’ own teachers
or teacher-like figures. Second, participants drew on positive experiences with own teachers
that guided them through the navigation of several socio-political challenges stemming from
the Apartheids era. Third, positive own teachers served as beacons of hope, strength and
resilience. Examples of past teachers unfolded as the driving force behind attitudes displayed
by participants, of embracing diversity and sensitivity towards differences between themselves,
their learners and colleagues. Fourth, positive own teachers served as beacons of hope, strength
and resilience. The fifth, and most complex finding, illustrated the ways in which participants
constructed their emerging professional identities around what they perceived as the qualities
of the ‘ideal’ teacher. ‘Levels of cautiousness’ surfaced as key to the professional identity of
beginner teachers in terms of the influence of their own teachers. It was found that beginner
teachers approached their professional identity on a continuum of ‘caution’ with regard to
certain aspects including reflection, classroom discipline, the influence of own teachers as well
as the awareness of the role of own teachers. This study showed a close link between
participants’ self-knowledge, perceptions of their personalities, their inherent communicative
traits and their progress on this ‘continuum of caution’.
