Becoming a teacher in Primary education: teacher identity and professionalism

A small scale research project was undertaken across all years of the four year BA Primary Education degree programme exploring perceptions of teacher identity and professionalism. The study involved a small number of tutors and students with the view of generating a reflective dialogue about the values and implicit understandings that underpin the professional development of a teacher. The methodology involved in-depth group interviewing with the creation of biographical narrative accounts, reflection of fictional and realistic film footage and follow up discussion of the emerged themes. The findings suggest that students who enter the ITE programme view teaching as an innate quality and teachers as moral agents that can make a difference to children’s lives. As students progress through the programme and experience the practicum component of their University studies, conflicting views of professionalism and teaching are formed that call us to reconsider the notion of teaching agency that is fostered within the four years ITE programme.