Ozlem Dagman Thesis
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THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF TEACHER IDENTITY: AN INTERGENERATIONAL COMPARISON OF TURKISH CYPRIOT AND GREEK CYPRIOT TEACHER NARRATIVES ÖZLEM DAĞMAN A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Brighton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September 2018 University of Brighton ABSTRACT This research focuses on the social construction of teacher identities of state primary school teachers in Cyprus. It is a comparative, bi-communal study based on the life stories of three generations of Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot teachers in relation to historical and cultural contexts of Cyprus. State primary school teachers have been selected as the focus of the study as their education/training has been standardised and led by state-run institutions across the divide in Cyprus. The purpose of the research is to present an analysis which Cypriot teachers across the borders can relate to and learn from. The main areas of enquiry in this thesis are teachers’ perceptions of their professional identities and the influence of individual and collective memory on constructing those professional identities. The study employs Qualitative Research Methods, specifically Narrative Approach and Life History Methodology. Constructionist and Interpretivist epistemological positions have informed the thesis. An analytical framework has been devised using Ivor Goodson’s ‘Narrative Theory’, Berger and Luckman’s ‘Social Construction of Reality’, Vivien Burr’s Social Constuctionism, Maurice Halbwachs’ ‘Collective Memory’ and Keith Turvey’s Narrative Ecologies works. The participants of the study have been organised into three generational cohorts, which have been divided with reference to 1974, the division of the island, and with reference to the shifting historical periods during which they were educated. The first generational cohort was educated during the British Colonial/pre-division period while the second generational cohort received their education during the post- colonial/division period in Cyprus. The third generational cohort received their education during the post-colonial/post-division period in Cyprus. Analysis of the collected data is presented in two chapters. The first analysis chapter presents data that is derived from the fieldnote diaries. That data is reported in the form of twelve stories. Those stories include information concerning the historical, cultural and social contexts of Cyprus. The second analysis chapter portrays the analysis of the collected life histories according to their narrative content and in relation to the wider literature which is formed of historical policy documents of teacher education/training curricula and social, historical and political contexts of Cyprus. The analysis of the collected data gave way to four overarching themes: “guidelines” “generations”, “genealogy” and “gateways” (the “four Gs”). In addition to these overarching themes, notions of “memory”, “identity”, “nationality”, “other(s)”, and “borders” have also emerged from the life histories. These notions are structured as sub-themes in relation to the overarching themes in the data analysis chapter. The originality of the study stems from its bi-communal perspective. It is the first bi- communal study of its kind, focusing on Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot teachers’ life histories and exploring their professional identities in relation to their memories and in relation to the memories of their ancestors. The findings of the study reflect both anticipated and unexpected similarities and differences across generations and across the divide in Cyprus. ii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Framework of Reviewed Concepts…………………………… p.32 Figure 2: Memory and sub-categories…………………………………... p.38 Figure 3: Identity and sub-categories……………………………………. p.65 Figure 4: Ecology of themes………………………………………………. p.168 Figure 5: First theme and sub-themes…………………………………… p.175 Figure 6: Second theme and sub-themes…………………………………p.191 Figure 7: Third theme and sub-themes…………………………………... p.199 Figure 8: Fourth theme and sub-themes…………………………………. p. 205 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Historical period and generational cohort of participants……… p.98 Table 2: Generations, nationalities and pseudonyms of participants…...p.100 Table 3: Chronological order of interviews…………………………………p.117 Table 4: Emerged themes and sub-themes……………………………… p.167 iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am indebted to many people who have helped me immensely throughout this challenging experience. I extend my utmost appreciation towards my supervisors, Professor Ivor Goodson and Dr Tim Rudd. Their wisdom, encouragement and support have not only enabled me to conduct and present the research but also changed my attitude towards life. My parents, Ayșe and Tahir Dağman, my sister Asliye Dağman and my brother-in-law Jonathan Stubbs, deserve endless gratitude for their continuous support. Thank you for believing in me all the way through this difficult journey. It is amazing to be part of this family. I am grateful for the PhD studentship that I received from Brighton University. The participants made this study possible, so I thank each and every one of them. I also thank the intermediary contacts for putting me in touch with the participants. Brighton University is a better place because of Linda McVeigh. She has constantly provided much appreciated support. She has responded to endless emails and phone calls. Thank you, Linda, for being my hero. I am grateful to Dr Mike Hayler and Anne Hayler who provided continuous guidance and motivation and good food. Dr Keith Turvey deserves a special thank you for his patience in answering my endless questions. Dr Sara Bragg has been an inspiration. Thank you for helping me believe in myself. Dr Mark Erikson’s guidance and patience creates a better Doctoral Programme and a better Doctoral College. Thank you, Mark. Mary Goodson deserves a special thank you for her incredible hospitality and delicious food that she repeatedly provided at Rose Cottage. Special thanks to Uncle Hasan and Aunt Tünay for the support they offered throughout my time in the UK. Without the support of my best friend Lynn Evans, living in England would have been impossible. Thank you, Lynn. With special thanks to Kat Samova and Liz Briggs, who offered practical solutions to numerous problems. Lynn Tully was amazing in providing interlibrary books. Thank you for broadening my horizons. Sylvia Willis has been wonderful in encouraging me to believe that I could overcome the “analysis paralysis”. My friends Muge Beidoglu, Suleyman Gelener, Christina, Afxtentis, Eirini, Lars, Meg, Lujain, Melina and Marianna deserve a special thank you for all the emotional support they have provided during the last four years. Rosie Moore has been an amazing friend throughout this difficult journey. Thank you, Rosie, for all the support you have provided in the form of lifts, inspiration and laughter. iv DECLARATION I declare that the research contained in this thesis, unless otherwise formally indicated within the text, is the original work of the author. The thesis has not been previously submitted to this or any other university for a degree and does not incorporate any material already submitted for a degree. Signed Dated 25th September 2018 v vi CONTENTS ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................................ii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................ iii LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. iv DECLARATION .............................................................................................................. v CONTENTS...................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION ................................................................................... 4 1.1 Research Questions and the Structure of the Study ..................................... 4 1.2 Setting the Scene PersonalLy and ProfessionalLy........................................... 6 1.2.1 My Personal position in the Research: My-story of Cyprus .................................6 1.2.3 My Professional Position in the Research ............................................................. 14 1.2.4 I, a Border-Crossing Researcher: Insider/Outsider ......................................... 14 1.3 HistoricaL Contexts of CyPrus: CoLoniaLism and Post-coLoniaLism Eras 15 1.3.1 Information on Cyprus and its Distant Past......................................................... 16 1.3.2 Ottoman Rule and the Cypriot Nation..................................................................... 17 1.3.3 Ottoman/British Rule in Cyprus: Simultaneous Masters ............................. 20 1.3.4 British Colonial Rule in Cyprus................................................................................... 21 1.3.6 The Republic of Cyprus: End of Colonialism ....................................................... 27 1.3.7 The Problem ......................................................................................................................... 28 CHAPTER 2 - LITERATURE REVIEW / CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ............ 32 2.1 Introduction ...............................................................................................................