1 Becoming a teacher – emerging teacher identity in mathematics teacher education University of Helsinki Faculty of behavioural Sciences Department of Applied Sciences of Education Heidi Krzywacki-Vainio (011421047) 2 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................5 Research task.......................................................................................................................................8 The framework of ‘teacher identity’.................................................................................................10 Structure of the research report........................................................................................................14 TEACHER IDENTITY IN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH.......................................................16 Formation of teacher identity............................................................................................................17 Teacher identity through characterisation .......................................................................................22 CHARACTERISTICS OF TEACHER IDENTITY ...................................................................26 Cognitive aspects ...............................................................................................................................29 Content knowledge ........................................................................................................................................32 Pedagogical content knowledge......................................................................................................................34 Pedagogical knowledge..................................................................................................................................39 Thinking skills...............................................................................................................................................43 Affective aspects ................................................................................................................................50 THE IMAGE OF AN IDEAL TEACHER DIRECTING DEVELOPMENT.............................54 Conceptions of a good teacher...........................................................................................................55 The image of an ideal teacher from a collective perspective ............................................................56 The ideal image orienting individual development...........................................................................59 TEACHER IDENTITY AS AN ON-GOING PROCESS............................................................63 Internal processes of identity formation ...........................................................................................66 Student teacher background............................................................................................................................67 Becoming a teacher........................................................................................................................................69 Teacher identity constructed through experience.............................................................................................74 External processes of identity formation ..........................................................................................78 Identity as socially constructed.......................................................................................................................80 Contextual influences.....................................................................................................................................85 Boundaries between internal and external .......................................................................................88 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ........................................................................................................91 THE CASE STUDY APPROACH..............................................................................................95 The paradigmatic background of the research.................................................................................96 Methodological choices......................................................................................................................98 3 The role of the researcher in the research process .........................................................................100 Conclusions concerning the paradigmatic background .................................................................103 CONDUCT OF THE RESEARCH ..........................................................................................105 Defining the research cases .............................................................................................................105 Mathematics teacher education as a research context.....................................................................................106 Student teachers...........................................................................................................................................110 The collective case of teacher educators........................................................................................................114 The data-gathering process .............................................................................................................122 Interviews....................................................................................................................................................123 Supplementary material................................................................................................................................128 Data handling and analysis .............................................................................................................130 Interview data ..............................................................................................................................................132 Supplementary material................................................................................................................................143 Conclusion concerning the research procedure..............................................................................145 TEACHER IDENTITY FORMATION THROUGH THREE CASES.....................................149 Student 1: John................................................................................................................................150 Am I going to be a teacher?..........................................................................................................................150 The developmental process profiled through characterisation........................................................................153 Identifying oneself with being a mathematics teacher....................................................................................168 Student 2: Mary...............................................................................................................................173 I am going to be a mathematics teacher.........................................................................................................173 The developmental process profiled through characterisation........................................................................177 Identifying oneself with being a mathematics teacher....................................................................................190 The image of an ideal teacher provided during the teacher education ..........................................197 The general vision of an ideal mathematics teacher.......................................................................................197 The characterisation of an ideal mathematics teacher ....................................................................................200 Conclusions concerning the cases....................................................................................................215 Characterisation of teacher identity...............................................................................................................215 Approaching teacher identity through the present and ideal image.................................................................217 The on-going process of teacher identity.......................................................................................................222 ON THE TRUSTWORTHINESS OF THE RESEARCH ........................................................225 Triangulation...................................................................................................................................226 Credibility........................................................................................................................................229 Transferability.................................................................................................................................231 Dependability...................................................................................................................................233 Confirmability .................................................................................................................................235 DISCUSSION ..........................................................................................................................237 On