USING NARRATIVE INQUIRY TO EXAMINE TEACHERS' IDENTITY VIA FACEBOOK NARRATIVES
Main Article Content
Abstract
Identity is the result of one's personality, upbringing, learning and working experience. This article presents the results of a research on the personal identity of a lecturer teaching English at a university in Vietnam. The article analyzes the teacher's shared narratives on Facebook about his life and teaching experiences. In-depth interviews were conducted over a one-year period following narrative inquiry procedure. The paper shows the complexity of the participant's four intertwined identities as well as the potential of Facebook as an online platform to share and reflect on personal experiences, thereby allowing readers to engage in a dual process of identification and negotiation of meanings in identity formation. Social networks have the potential to mitigate the isolation of teachers in their pursuit of professional development activities and to promote the formation and development of professional communities.
Article Details
Keywords
identity, social network, socio-constructivism
References
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Bamberg, M. (2007). Stories: big or small - Why do we care? In M. Bamberg (Ed.), Narrative - State of the Art (pp. 167-174). John Benjamins.
Bamberg, M., & Georgakopoulou, A. (2008). Small stories as a new perspective in narrative and identity analysis. Text & Talk, 28(3), 377-396.
Bates, T., Swennen, A., & Jones, K. (2011). In the professional development of teacher educators. Routledge.
Beijaard, D., Meijer, P. C., & Verloop, N. (2004). Reconsidering research on teachers’ professional identity. Teaching and Teacher Education, 20, 107-128.
Boyd, D. (2008). Why youth (heart) social network sites: The role of networked publics in teenage social life. In D. Buckingham (Ed.), Youth, Identity, and Digital Media (pp. 119-142). MIT Press.
Bruner, J. (1990). Acts of Meaning. Harvard University Press.
Buffardi, L. E., & Campbell, K. W. (2008). Narcissism and social networking web sites. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34(10), 1303-1314.
Carpenter, J. P., & Krutkab, D. G. (2015). Engagement through microblogging: Educator professional development via Twitter. Professional Development in Education, 41(4), 707-728.
Clandinin, D. J., & Connelly, F. M. (2000). Narrative inquiry: Experience and story in qualitative research. Jossey-Bass Inc.
Coldron, J., & Smith, R. (1999). Active location in teachers’ construction of their professional identities. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 31(6), 711–726.
Duff, P., & Uchida, Y. (1997). The negotiation of teachers’ sociocultural identities and practices in postsecondary EFL classrooms. TESOL Quarterly, 31(3), 451–486.
Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2011). Connection strategies: social capital implications of Facebook-enabled communication practices. New Media & Society, 13(6), 873-892.
Flick, U. (1998). An introduction to qualitative research. SAGE Publications.
Gee, J. P. (2001). Identity as an analytic lens for research in education. In W. G. Secada (Ed.), Review of research in education (Vol. 25, pp. 99-125). SAGE Publications.
Gee, J. P. (2004). Situated language and learning: A critique of traditional schooling. Routledge.
Giddens, A. (1991). Modernity and self identity: self and society in the late modern age. Polity.
Hashimoto, K., & Van-Trao, N. (2018). Professional development of English language teachers in Asia. Routledge.
He, M. F. (2002c). A narrative inquiry of cross-cultural lives: Lives in the North American academy. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 34(5), 513–533.
Jovchelovitch, S., & Bauer, M. W. (2000). Narrative interviewing [online]. LSE Research Online.
Kelly, N., & Antonio, A. (2016). Teacher peer support in social network sites. Teaching and Teacher Education, 56, 138-149.
Lankveld, T. V., Schoonenboom, J., Volman, M., Croiset, G., & Beishuizen, J. (2017). Developing a teacher identity in the university context: A systematic review of the literature. Higher Education Research & Development, 36(2), 325-342.
MacLure, M. (1993). Arguing for yourself: Identity as an organizing principle in teachers’ jobs and lives. British Educational Research Journal, 19(4), 311–322.
Mai, T. M., Nguyen, L. T., Tran, L. N., & Le, T. V. (2020). EFL teachers' Facebook groups as online communities of practice: Toward configurations for engagement and sustainability. Computer-Assisted Language Learning Electronic Journal, 21(3), 140-158.
Marcia, M., & Garcia, I. (2016). Informal online communities and networks as a source of teacher professional development: A review. Teaching and Teacher Education, 55, 291-307.
Mazer, J. P., Murphy, R. E., & Simonds, C. J. (2007). I’ll see you on “Facebook”: the effects of computermediated teacher self-disclosure on student motivation, affective learning, and classroom climate. Communication Education, 56(1), 1-17.
Moore, A., Edwards, G., Halpin, D., & George, R. (2002). Compliance, resistance and pragmatism: The (re)construction of schoolteacher identities in a period of intensive educational reform. British Educational Research Journal, 28(4), 551-565.
Nie, J., & Sundar, S. S. (2013). Who would pay for facebook? Self esteem as a predictor of user behavior, identity construction and valuation of virtual possessions. In P. Kotzé, G. Marsden, G. Lindgaard, J. Wesson & M. Winckler (Eds.), Human-Computer Interaction - INTERACT 2013: Lecture notes in computer science (Vol. 8119, pp. 726-743). Springer.
Olsen, B. (2008). Teaching what they learn, learning what they live. Paradigm Publishers.
Page, R. (2012). Stories and social media. Routledge.
Pennington, M. C., & Richards, J. C. (2016). Teacher identity in language teaching: Integrating personal, contextual, and professional factors. RELC Journal, 47, 5–23.
Polin, L. (2008). Graduate professional education from a community of practice perspective: The role of social and technical networking. In C. Kimble, P. M. Hildreth & I. Bourdon (Eds.), Communities of practice: Creating learning environments for educators (pp. 163-178). Information Age Publishing.
Prestridge, S. (2019). Categorising teachers’ use of social media for their professional learning: A self-generating professional learning paradigm. Computers & Education, 129, 143-158.
Ranieri, M., Manca, S., & Fini, A. (2012). Why (and how) do teachers engage in social networks? An exploratory study of professional use of Facebook and its implications for lifelong learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 43(5), 754-769.
Riesman, C. K. (1993) Narrative Analysis. SAGE Publications.
Rodgers, C. R., & Scott, K. H. (2008). The development of the personal self and professional identity in learning to teach. Handbook of Research on Teacher Education (732-755).
Sachs, J. (2005). Teacher education and the development of professional identity: Learning to be a teacher. In P. Denicolo & M. Kompf (Eds.), Connecting policy and practice: Challenges for teaching and learning in schools and universities (pp. 5-21). Routledge.
Samuel, M., & Stephens, D. (2000). Critical dialogues with self: Developing teacher identities and roles - a case study of South African student teachers. International Journal of Educational Research, 33, 475-491.
Sfard, A., & Prusak, A. (2005). Telling identities: In search of an analytic tool for investigating learning as a culturally shaped activity. Educational Researcher, 34(4), 14-22.
Tsui, B. M. A. (2007). Complexities of identity formation: A narrative inquiry of an EFL teacher. TESOL Quarterly, 41(4), 567-680.
Wenger-Trayner, E., & Wenger-Trayner, B. (2015). Introduction to communities of practice. EB. http://wengertrayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice/
Bamberg, M. (2007). Stories: big or small - Why do we care? In M. Bamberg (Ed.), Narrative - State of the Art (pp. 167-174). John Benjamins.
Bamberg, M., & Georgakopoulou, A. (2008). Small stories as a new perspective in narrative and identity analysis. Text & Talk, 28(3), 377-396.
Bates, T., Swennen, A., & Jones, K. (2011). In the professional development of teacher educators. Routledge.
Beijaard, D., Meijer, P. C., & Verloop, N. (2004). Reconsidering research on teachers’ professional identity. Teaching and Teacher Education, 20, 107-128.
Boyd, D. (2008). Why youth (heart) social network sites: The role of networked publics in teenage social life. In D. Buckingham (Ed.), Youth, Identity, and Digital Media (pp. 119-142). MIT Press.
Bruner, J. (1990). Acts of Meaning. Harvard University Press.
Buffardi, L. E., & Campbell, K. W. (2008). Narcissism and social networking web sites. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34(10), 1303-1314.
Carpenter, J. P., & Krutkab, D. G. (2015). Engagement through microblogging: Educator professional development via Twitter. Professional Development in Education, 41(4), 707-728.
Clandinin, D. J., & Connelly, F. M. (2000). Narrative inquiry: Experience and story in qualitative research. Jossey-Bass Inc.
Coldron, J., & Smith, R. (1999). Active location in teachers’ construction of their professional identities. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 31(6), 711–726.
Duff, P., & Uchida, Y. (1997). The negotiation of teachers’ sociocultural identities and practices in postsecondary EFL classrooms. TESOL Quarterly, 31(3), 451–486.
Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2011). Connection strategies: social capital implications of Facebook-enabled communication practices. New Media & Society, 13(6), 873-892.
Flick, U. (1998). An introduction to qualitative research. SAGE Publications.
Gee, J. P. (2001). Identity as an analytic lens for research in education. In W. G. Secada (Ed.), Review of research in education (Vol. 25, pp. 99-125). SAGE Publications.
Gee, J. P. (2004). Situated language and learning: A critique of traditional schooling. Routledge.
Giddens, A. (1991). Modernity and self identity: self and society in the late modern age. Polity.
Hashimoto, K., & Van-Trao, N. (2018). Professional development of English language teachers in Asia. Routledge.
He, M. F. (2002c). A narrative inquiry of cross-cultural lives: Lives in the North American academy. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 34(5), 513–533.
Jovchelovitch, S., & Bauer, M. W. (2000). Narrative interviewing [online]. LSE Research Online.
Kelly, N., & Antonio, A. (2016). Teacher peer support in social network sites. Teaching and Teacher Education, 56, 138-149.
Lankveld, T. V., Schoonenboom, J., Volman, M., Croiset, G., & Beishuizen, J. (2017). Developing a teacher identity in the university context: A systematic review of the literature. Higher Education Research & Development, 36(2), 325-342.
MacLure, M. (1993). Arguing for yourself: Identity as an organizing principle in teachers’ jobs and lives. British Educational Research Journal, 19(4), 311–322.
Mai, T. M., Nguyen, L. T., Tran, L. N., & Le, T. V. (2020). EFL teachers' Facebook groups as online communities of practice: Toward configurations for engagement and sustainability. Computer-Assisted Language Learning Electronic Journal, 21(3), 140-158.
Marcia, M., & Garcia, I. (2016). Informal online communities and networks as a source of teacher professional development: A review. Teaching and Teacher Education, 55, 291-307.
Mazer, J. P., Murphy, R. E., & Simonds, C. J. (2007). I’ll see you on “Facebook”: the effects of computermediated teacher self-disclosure on student motivation, affective learning, and classroom climate. Communication Education, 56(1), 1-17.
Moore, A., Edwards, G., Halpin, D., & George, R. (2002). Compliance, resistance and pragmatism: The (re)construction of schoolteacher identities in a period of intensive educational reform. British Educational Research Journal, 28(4), 551-565.
Nie, J., & Sundar, S. S. (2013). Who would pay for facebook? Self esteem as a predictor of user behavior, identity construction and valuation of virtual possessions. In P. Kotzé, G. Marsden, G. Lindgaard, J. Wesson & M. Winckler (Eds.), Human-Computer Interaction - INTERACT 2013: Lecture notes in computer science (Vol. 8119, pp. 726-743). Springer.
Olsen, B. (2008). Teaching what they learn, learning what they live. Paradigm Publishers.
Page, R. (2012). Stories and social media. Routledge.
Pennington, M. C., & Richards, J. C. (2016). Teacher identity in language teaching: Integrating personal, contextual, and professional factors. RELC Journal, 47, 5–23.
Polin, L. (2008). Graduate professional education from a community of practice perspective: The role of social and technical networking. In C. Kimble, P. M. Hildreth & I. Bourdon (Eds.), Communities of practice: Creating learning environments for educators (pp. 163-178). Information Age Publishing.
Prestridge, S. (2019). Categorising teachers’ use of social media for their professional learning: A self-generating professional learning paradigm. Computers & Education, 129, 143-158.
Ranieri, M., Manca, S., & Fini, A. (2012). Why (and how) do teachers engage in social networks? An exploratory study of professional use of Facebook and its implications for lifelong learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 43(5), 754-769.
Riesman, C. K. (1993) Narrative Analysis. SAGE Publications.
Rodgers, C. R., & Scott, K. H. (2008). The development of the personal self and professional identity in learning to teach. Handbook of Research on Teacher Education (732-755).
Sachs, J. (2005). Teacher education and the development of professional identity: Learning to be a teacher. In P. Denicolo & M. Kompf (Eds.), Connecting policy and practice: Challenges for teaching and learning in schools and universities (pp. 5-21). Routledge.
Samuel, M., & Stephens, D. (2000). Critical dialogues with self: Developing teacher identities and roles - a case study of South African student teachers. International Journal of Educational Research, 33, 475-491.
Sfard, A., & Prusak, A. (2005). Telling identities: In search of an analytic tool for investigating learning as a culturally shaped activity. Educational Researcher, 34(4), 14-22.
Tsui, B. M. A. (2007). Complexities of identity formation: A narrative inquiry of an EFL teacher. TESOL Quarterly, 41(4), 567-680.
Wenger-Trayner, E., & Wenger-Trayner, B. (2015). Introduction to communities of practice. EB. http://wengertrayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice/