Bayakhuluma kaningi : the influence of own teachers on the professional identity of beginner teachers

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’.