RECONSTRUCTING TEACHER IDENTITY: EXPERİENCES OF A TURKISH TEACHER AIDE IN AN AMERİCAN PRESCHOOL CLASSROOM
Öz
The purpose of this study is to examine the thoughts, feelings, and dilemmas and to describe how a Turkish teacher aide created or reshaped her professional identity in the light of her experience in an American preschool educational setting. A descriptive case study method was employed in the study to gain in-depth understanding of the issue. Using purposive sampling a Turkish teacher aide was selected to participate in the study. The data was collected through a semi-structured interview. The results revealed that her teaching practice has been heavily influenced by a collectivistic society’s points of view but her current identity has been shaped with the new perspectives she gained in the U.S.
Anahtar Kelimeler
Teacher Identity, Early Childhood Education, Turkish teachers, Teacher Aides
Kaynakça
- 1. Beijaard, D., Verloop, N., & Vermunt, J. D. (2000). Teachers’ perceptions of professional identity: an exploratory study from a personal knowledge perspective. Teaching and Teacher Education, 16(7), 749-764.
- 2. Cooper, K., & Olson, M. (1996). The multiple “I’s” of teacher identity. In M. Kompf, D. Dworet, & R. Boak (Eds.), Changing research and practice (pp. 78-89). London: Falmer Press.
- 3. Danielewicz, J. (2001). Teaching selves: identity, pedagogy, and teacher education. Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press
- 4. Duff, P. A. & Uchida, Y. (1997). The negotiation of teachers’ sociocultural identities and practices in postsecondary EFL classrooms. TESOL Quarterly, 31, (2), 451-486.
- 5. Franzak, J. K. (2002). Developing a teacher identity: the impact of critical friends practice on the student teacher. English Education, 34(4), 258-280.
- 6. Gao, X., & Trent, J. (2009). Understanding mainland Chinese student teachers’ motivations for choosing a teacher education programme in Hong Kong. Journal of Education for Teaching, 35(2), 145–159.
- 7. Hong, J. Y. (2010). Pre-service and beginning teachers’ professional identity and its relation to dropping out of the profession. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26, 1530-1543.
- 8. Knowles, J. G. (1992). Models for understanding pre-service and beginning teachers’ biographies: Illustrations from case studies. In I. Goodson (Ed.) Studying Teachers’ Lives (pp. 99-153). Columbia University, NY: Teachers College Press.
- 9. Li, M., & Bray, M. (2007). Cross-border flows of students for higher education: Push-pull factors and motivations of mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong and Macau. Higher Education, 53, 791–818.
- 10. Mello, Robin A. (2001, March). Passing the torch: developing students’ professional identity through connected narratives. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, Dallas, TX.