Professional identity of language teacher trainees during practicum: A metaphor analysis

Yıl 2022, Cilt: 8 Sayı: 2, 165 - 185, 18.12.2022

Burcu Turhan

https://doi.org/10.47216/literacytrek.1146806

Öz

Teachers may face dilemmas when they realize certain discrepancies between theory and practice throughout their career. Especially for teacher trainees, such dilemmatic spaces may be beneficial in uncovering multiple identities developing and being shaped especially during practicum. More specifically, the most frequent discrepancy could be between the desire to explore one’s own teacher identity and to please mentors and supervisors. Therefore, teacher training programs should provide spaces for teacher trainees to reflect and analyze those dilemmas so that they could develop their teacher professional identity (TPI) in an unproblematic and smooth manner. To this end, this study involved twelve senior English teacher trainees into a five-week process when they expressed their growing professional identities through metaphorical discourse within the scope of Teaching Practice I course. The thematic analyses of the elicited metaphors revealed vital hints about the TPI of language teacher trainees. Besides, the place and importance of metaphors for understanding TPI were discussed in the context of teacher education.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Teacher identity, language teachers, practicum, metaphors.

Kaynakça

• Alger, L.C. (2009). Secondary teachers’ conceptual metaphors of teaching and learning: Changes over the career span. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(5), 743-751.
• Beauchamp, C., & Thomas, L. (2009). Understanding teacher identity: An overview of issues in the literature and implications for teacher education. Cambridge Journal of Education, 39(2), 175–189.
• Beijaard, D., Meijer, P.C., &Verloop, N. (2004). Reconsidering research on teachers’ professional identity. Teaching and Teacher Education, 20(2), 107–128.
• Burns, A., & Richards, J. C. (2009). Introduction: Second language teacher education. In A. Burns, & J. C. Richards (Eds.), The Cambridge guide to second language teacher education (pp. 1-8). New York: Cambridge University Press.
• Cameron, D., & Grant, A. (2017). The role of mentoring in early career physics teachers’ professional identity construction. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 6(2), 128–142. Capps, D. K., Crawford, B.A., &Constas, M.A. (2012). A review of empirical literature on inquiry professional development: alignment with best practices and a critique of the findings. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 23(3), 291–318.
• Clarke, M., Michell, M., & Ellis, N.J. (2017). Dialectics of development: teacher identity formation in the interplay of ideal ego and ego ideal. Teacher Education, 28(2), 115–130.
• Drack, M. (2009). Ludwig von Bertalanffy’s early system approach. System Research & Behavioral Science, 26, 563–572.
• Farrell, T.S.C. (2011). Exploring the professional role identities of experienced ESL teachers through reflective practice. System, 39(1), 54-62.
• Flynn, S., & Korcuska, J. (2018). Credible phenomenological research: A mixed-methods study. Counselor Education & Supervision, 57(1), 34 –50.
• Garner, J. K., & Kaplan, A. (2019). A complex dynamic systems perspective on teacher learning and identity formation: an instrumental case. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 25(1), 7–33.
• Gee, J. P. (2000). Chapter 3: Identity as an analytic lens for research in education. Review of Research in Education, 25(1), 99-125.
• Gracia, E. P., Rodríguez, R. S., & Pedrajas, A. P. (2022). Teachers’ professional identity construction: A review of the literatura. Profesorado, Revista de Currículum y Formacio´n del Profesorado, 26(1), 371-393.
• Guest, G., McQueen, K. M., & Namey, E. E. (2012). Applied thematic analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Izadinia, M. (2015). A closer look at the role of mentor teachers in shaping pre-service teachers’ professional identity. Teaching and Teacher Education, 52, 1–10.
• Johnson, K. E., & Golombek, P. R. (2011). The transformative power of narrative in second language teacher education. TESOL Quarterly, 45(3), 486-509.
• Karabay, A. (2016). An investigation of prospective teachers' views regarding teacher identity via metaphors. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 65, 1-18.
• Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (2003). Metaphors we live by. Chicago: Chicago University Publisher.
• Leeferink, H., Koopman, M., Beijaard, D., & Schellings, G.L.M. (2019). Overarching professional identity themes in student teacher workplace learning. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 25(1), 69–89.
• Lim, H.W. (2011). Concept maps of Korean EFL student teachers’ autobiographical reflections on their professional identity formation. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(6), 969–981.
• Ma, X., & Gao, X. (2017). Metaphors used by pre-service teachers of Chinese as an international language. Journal of Education for Teaching, 43(1), 71-83.
• Meijer, P.C., De Graaf, G., & Meirink, J. (2011). Key experiences in student teachers’ development. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 17(1), 115–129.
• Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Miller, J. M. (2009). Teacher identity. In A. Burns, & J. C. Richards (Eds.), The Cambridge guide to second language teacher education (pp. 172-181). New York: Cambridge University Press.
• Nguyen, C. D. (2016). Creating spaces for constructing practice and identity: Innovations of teachers of English language to young learners in Vietnam. Research Papers in Education, 32(1), 1-15.
• Olsen, B. (2008). How reasons for entry into the profession illuminate teacher identity development. Teacher Education Quarterly, 35(2), 23–40.
• Roberts, P., & Priest, H. (2006). Reliability and validity in research. Nursing Standard, 20(44), 41-46.
• Rodrigues, L. D. A. D., de Pietri, E., Sanchez, H. S., & Kuchah, K. (2018). The role of experienced teachers in the development of pre-service language teachers’ professional identity: Revisiting school memories and constructing future teacher selves. International Journal of Educational Research, 88, 146-155.
• Rodrigues, F., & Mogarro, M. J. (2019). Student teachers’ professional identity: A review of research contributions. Educational Research Review, 28, 100286.
• Saban, A. (2006). Functions of metaphor in teaching and teacher education: A review essay. Teaching Education, 17(4), 299-315.
• Salazar, J., & McCluskey, K. (2017). A case study of early career secondary teachers’ perceptions of their preparedness for teaching: Lessons from Australia and Spain. Teacher Development, 21(1), 101–117.
• Schaefer, L., & Clandinin, D.J. (2019). Sustaining teachers’ stories to live by: Implications for teacher education. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 25(1), 54–68.
• Thomas, L., & Beauchamp, C. (2011). Understanding new teachers’ professional identities through metaphor. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(4), 762-769.
• Varghese, M., Morgan, B., Johnston, B., & Johnson, K. A. (2005). Theorizing language teacher identity: Three perspectives and beyond. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 4(1), 21-44.
• Zhang, Y., Hawk, S. T., Zhang, X., & Zhao, H. (2016). Chinese pre-service teachers’ professional identity links with education program performance: The roles of task value belief and learning motivations. Frontiers in Psychology, 7.
• Zhao, H., Coombs, S., & Zhou, X. (2010). Developing professional knowledge about teachers through metaphor research: Facilitating a process of change. Teacher Development, 14(3), 381-395