Pre-service primary school teachers’ teacher identity development in the context of science education
Thesis event information
Date and time of the thesis defence
Place of the thesis defence
Distance defence, Zoom link: https://oulu.zoom.us/j/64079180913
Topic of the dissertation
Pre-service primary school teachers’ teacher identity development in the context of science education
Doctoral candidate
Master of Arts Anne Pellikka
Faculty and unit
University of Oulu Graduate School, Faculty of Education, Teachers, Teaching and Educational Communities
Subject of study
Education
Opponent
Associate professor Ilkka Ratinen, University of Lapland
Custos
Professor Raimo Kaasila, University of Oulu
Identifying different teacher identities at the beginning of teacher education is important
The doctoral dissertation explores the question of how pre-service primary school teachers develop their teacher identity in relations to teaching science, especially in teaching biology and geography. In this narrative study, 41 pre-service teachers were followed during their teacher education studies.
The data collection was a three-phase process involving examination of pre-service teachers’ school-time memories, their future views of themselves as teachers, as well as their beliefs, understandings and ways of planning science teaching.
The findings demonstrate that the positive memories of science teaching from school time and the ideals pre-service teachers develop based on them are especially meaningful for teacher identity development. Additionally, it was also observed that pre-service teachers’ beliefs, understandings and planning of science teaching can be very different and sometimes incompatible, and these differences have different meanings for teacher identity development.
Finally, to present a whole picture of their teacher identity development, the findings of the doctoral dissertation illustrate three possible paths of teacher identity development. The “static” path where one single memory of pre-service teachers determines their entire teacher identity development, the “progressive” path which involves pre-service teachers’ good understanding of the subject content knowledge, and the “transcending” path where pre-service teachers recognize the need for personal change.
Doctoral dissertation argues that identifying different teacher identities at the beginning of teacher education is important, and that teacher educators should consider them when they develop their teaching. The results are especially meaningful for science teacher education since they offer teacher educators a possibility to consider the diversity of both teacher identity development and the factors influencing on it.
The data collection was a three-phase process involving examination of pre-service teachers’ school-time memories, their future views of themselves as teachers, as well as their beliefs, understandings and ways of planning science teaching.
The findings demonstrate that the positive memories of science teaching from school time and the ideals pre-service teachers develop based on them are especially meaningful for teacher identity development. Additionally, it was also observed that pre-service teachers’ beliefs, understandings and planning of science teaching can be very different and sometimes incompatible, and these differences have different meanings for teacher identity development.
Finally, to present a whole picture of their teacher identity development, the findings of the doctoral dissertation illustrate three possible paths of teacher identity development. The “static” path where one single memory of pre-service teachers determines their entire teacher identity development, the “progressive” path which involves pre-service teachers’ good understanding of the subject content knowledge, and the “transcending” path where pre-service teachers recognize the need for personal change.
Doctoral dissertation argues that identifying different teacher identities at the beginning of teacher education is important, and that teacher educators should consider them when they develop their teaching. The results are especially meaningful for science teacher education since they offer teacher educators a possibility to consider the diversity of both teacher identity development and the factors influencing on it.
Last updated: 1.3.2023