Middle and high school science teacher identity considered through the lens of the social identity approach: a systematic review of the literature

Rushton, Elizabeth A. C.; Reiß, Michael

doi:10.1080/03057267.2020.1799621

Cited by 28 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 112 publications

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“…However, not all of the characteristics identified by these studies reveal the social aspect of science teacher identity, as posed in Avraamidou (2016), Beijaard, Meijer, and Verloops (2004), and Rushton et al (2020). For Avraamidou (2016), teacher identity consists of interaction between educational biographies and institutional discourses.…”

Section: Science Teacher Identitymentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Meanwhile, Beijaard, Meijer, and Verloops (2004) indicate characteristics that involve the individual with their context, in which teacher identity consists of subidentities and agency is critical; this points to the necessity of teachers being active in the process of professional development. Rushton et al (2020) emphasize the importance of shared identity and group membership as catalysts for the development of positive teacher identities, suggesting that being part of a group and socially constructing identities are crucial factors for strengthening teacher identity in general. In this context, teacher identities appear to be reinforced in communities in which their stories are heard in an active and critical manner in order to empower them as agents of change.…”

Section: Science Teacher Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Teachers’ science camp experiences in southern Chile: Strengthening teacher identity and continuing education

Silva

Parra

Reyes-Arriagada

et al. 2021

LUMAT

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Science camps for teachers have been held in Chile for several years and are recognized as important opportunities for continuing education, but they have been largely ignored as instances for impactful reflection on teacher self-assessment and identity. This article presents the analysis of teacher experiences at a science camp held in southern Chile called “Explora Va!”, which was designed not just as an instance for continuing education for teachers in scientific contents but also for individual and collaborative reflection aimed at strengthening educators’ skills as agents of change in their institutions. The question of this study was: how do the participants represent their teacher identities based on their experiences at the “Explora Va!” Camp? Using a qualitative approach, the results of the analysis of narratives from teachers’ camp journals are reported here. The narratives from these journals provide an account of two dimensions, personal and contextual, where the importance of the teaching profession and science teaching were explored beyond conventional disciplinary limits. Collaboration, innovation, and personal and professional growth at the camp served to signify and resignify professional identities based on common elements but attending to the particular circumstances and unique backgrounds of each teacher.

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Section: Science Teacher Identitymentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Science Teacher Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Teachers’ science camp experiences in southern Chile: Strengthening teacher identity and continuing education

Silva

Parra

Reyes-Arriagada

et al. 2021

LUMAT

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“…Our main theoretical background rests in the social identity approach (SIA), which suggests that a person's self is primarily determined by the social context and the groups they belong to and, eventually, identify with. Besides, this approach indicates that people seek to develop and maintain a positive image of the self by constantly comparing intergroup and outgroup (Rushton and Reiss, 2020). Seen so, identity is neither static nor immutable, but as an effect of negotiations and movement, certainly influenced by social meanings at hand and their symbolic and material expressions (Liu and Xu, 2011).…”

Section: Theoretical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interactions and social identity of support teachers: An ethnographic study of the marginalisation in the inclusive school

Marin

Jacomuzzi²

2022

Front. Educ.

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Educational personnel are seen as agents of change toward inclusive schools. This research aims to examine the daily-based interactions through which inclusion is experienced by support teachers and how their social identity is constructed within a secondary school in a northern Italy province. The theoretical basis of this research is formed by the conceptual contributions of social identity approach and symbolic interactionism to understand self-categorization and identification processes, through the narratives of actors. An ethnographic design was implemented, with 4-month participant observation and 20 semi-structured interviews of long duration as the main data collection techniques. Fieldnotes and interviews transcriptions were inductively analyzed through a thematic approach to grounded theorising. Results show a school community in which there is a strong hierarchical relationship among main and support teachers, where support teachers experience strong feelings of inferiority and marginalisation, since they have entered school. These school interactions are also shaped by the school culture and management. However, support teachers have a potential avant-garde role as agents of change in the inclusion process. Future research should target this aspect to investigate best inclusive practices.

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“…The research questions informing this systematic review arise from the authors' own research and teaching focused on teacher identity, as well as from our own professional lives as schoolteachers. Firstly, in our scholarly work exploring a variety of factors related to teachers' lives and work, the concept of teacher identity has been central to our research and teaching (e.g., Rushton & Reiss, 2021; Steadman, 2023). As such, engaging with new theoretical models and frameworks, and other conceptual approaches on teacher identity, is important as we continue our research and teaching focused on teachers' professional lives.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding teacher identity in teachers' professional lives: A systematic review of the literature

Rushton,

Rawlings Smith,

Steadman

et al. 2023

Review of Education

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This article presents a systematic review of a substantial body of literature that considers the ways in which the concept of teacher identity has been used to understand and explore teachers' professional lives. The aim of the review was to go beyond the limitations of specific areas of teachers' practice to explore the broad and rich field of teachers' professional lives. Drawing on 412 articles from 2000–2021, the review demonstrates the growth in teacher identity research, particularly since 2010. Results from the review are categorised into seven thematic groups that span key areas related to teachers' professional lives: (1) Models and frameworks of professional lives; (2) Narratives of professional lives; (3) Becoming a teacher; (4) Contexts; (5) Communities; (6) Change, transition and conflict; and (7) Subject specialisms. The review reveals gaps in teacher identity research, such as: few research studies from Global South countries; a limited number of studies focusing on non‐core curriculum subjects, including arts, history, geography and physical education; fewer studies focusing on primary school and early years teacher identities; and a divide between identity scholarship and research, and policy and practice. The article concludes with a call for teacher identity research to be expanded and broadened with the aim to facilitate the progress of identity work in scholarship, policy and practice. Context and implicationsRationale for this studyIn the context of a growing body of research on teacher identity, particularly in the last decade, there remains a paucity of identity‐focused systematic reviews. Existing systematic reviews tend to focus on specific fields such as subject specialisms, teacher education and beginning teachers. However, far fewer reviews span the broader field of teachers' professional lives; this article responds to this gap in the literature.Why the new findings matterThe findings from this review are important in highlighting the most commonly explored areas in teacher identity research as it relates to teachers' professional lives. As such, the findings can inform policy and practice for teacher education and professional development at local, national and international scales. The findings also highlight gaps in the literature and the implications this may have on teacher identity scholarship.Implications for educational researchers and educatorsFirstly, educational researchers can identify key themes arising from existing teacher identity research studies. This can help them to focus on specific areas that would benefit from further research as well as providing them with a single space from which to draw on the existing corpus of research studies. Secondly, teacher identity research is important for the professional lives and practice of educators and this review provides educators with an opportunity to understand the teacher identity scholarly landscape and, in turn, apply findings from the research to their own professional practice.

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Middle and high school science teacher identity considered through the lens of the social identity approach: a systematic review of the literature

Cited by 28 publications

References 112 publications

Teachers’ science camp experiences in southern Chile: Strengthening teacher identity and continuing education

Teachers’ science camp experiences in southern Chile: Strengthening teacher identity and continuing education

Interactions and social identity of support teachers: An ethnographic study of the marginalisation in the inclusive school

Understanding teacher identity in teachers' professional lives: A systematic review of the literature

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