Identity, Agency and Imagination in Literacy Acquisition Narratives of Northern Cape Teachers

Abstract

In South Africa and internationally, studies using post-structuralist frameworks and social theory have thrown light on the roles played by identity and the imagination and by school and the broader society in literacy acquisition. This article contributes to research on these themes, analysing extracts from literacy acquisition narratives written by language teachers in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It explores the development of identity and agency that occurred through teachers’ experiential and imaginative engagement in communities of literate practice and concludes that the findings have pedagogical implications. Against the background of themes identified across 25 essays, extracts from four narratives are examined in detail, using concepts such as identity and community of practice. The analysis suggests that strong literate identities are rooted in literacy events and practices of home and neighbourhood communities, and in agency born out of experiences of difference encountered in society and through the imagination. It argues that such findings can be used to move teaching away from sterile and authoritative methods into more critical and participative pedagogies.

Research on the Composition and Growth Path of Digital High-level “Dual-Teacher” Teachers in Colleges and Universities

“…In the digital era, teachers not only need to maintain traditional teacher literacy but also must master new technical skills and understand and utilize new teaching methods to adapt to the rapidly changing teaching environment. Therefore, the study of teacher literacy in the digital era is of great significance in understanding teachers' teaching practices, promoting teachers' professional development, and providing a theoretical basis for educational policy-making [8][9]. Teachers, as one of the main participants in teaching activities, must purposefully improve their professional literacy in the face of the smart classroom formed based on a large number of resources [10].…”

“…Fangbo Hou. Applied Mathematics and Nonlinear Sciences, 9(1) (2024)[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] …”