Change in self-concept as a teacher during and after a course of Initial Teacher Training: a longitudinal study John Devlin Smith Institute of Education University of London Acknowledgements I wish to acknowledge, with sincere gratitude, the teachers who willingly gave up their valuable time to participate in this project. Their motivation, enthusiasm, and openness in sharing their own learning experiences has added richness to the research and contributed to the learning that has come from this project. My sincere thanks also to my supervisor, Professor Judy Ireson, Institute of Education, University of London, who has provided unfailing encouragement and support throughout this project. Dedication This thesis is dedicated to Gail Patricia Smith and to Olwen Mary Smith. Abstract The concept of the self is undergoing a revival of interest part of which centres on its dynamical properties and capacity for change. That self-concept can change is no longer a contested idea, the key question is how? One explanation, examined in this thesis, is that possible selves (Markus and Nurius, 1986) play a central, systemic, role in the self-regulation of self-concept. The thesis examines change in self-concept as a teacher occurring during and after a programme of initial teacher training (ITT) in order to contribute to knowledge and to inform educators and trainers about the process of personal and professional change. The research question asks: How are actual and possible selves involved in the development of self-concept as a teacher? What role does self-regulation play in the process of transformation? Following Sternberg (1997), the many metaphors for self-concept extant were catalogued to create a synoptic overview of the literature. This was refined, using the systemic and dimensional properties of each metaphor, to create a dynamical perspective and presented as a Metaphor Matrix of Self-Concept. The matrix, plus a review of teacher training literature and research studies on teachers' lives, was used to inform the empirical research for the thesis, a four- stage longitudinal study of 19 trainees completing a course of ITT collecting data at each stage using semi-structured interviews. Although most trainees felt personally unchanged, reflective and deliberate practice during training stimulated interactive changes in actual and ideal self as a teacher. Once in post as qualified teachers, both constructs became focused on coping with daily routine. Overall, the thesis provides an alternative perspective on the self-concept literature, a revised interpretation of the possible selves construct, a novel explanation of the way self-concept as a teacher develops, and offers practical strategies for supporting CPD in schools post-training. 2 Declaration and Word Count I hereby declare that, except where explicit attribution is made, the work presented in this thesis is entirely my own. Word count (exclusive of appendices, list of references and bibliography): 80,314 Words John Devlin Smith 3 Contents Abstract 2 Declaration and Word Count 3 Contents 4-6 List of Figures and Tables 7 1. Introduction 8-11 2. A Review of the Literature Relating to Self-Concept 12-57 Introduction 12-14 Mapping the Literature - Part 1: Core Influences 15-23 Mapping the Literature - Part 2: The Life Course 24-26 Mapping the Literature - Part 3: Dynamical Processes .27-57 3. The Development of Self-Concept as a Teacher - Research Issues and Directions 58-90 Section 1: Developing a conceptual framework from the literature 59-61 Section 2: A review of longitudinal and other studies set in the context of teacher training and development to identify aspects of method and topic content that have relevance for this study 62-72 Section 3: A critical review of theoretical and empirical studies dealing with self-concept and identity as a teacher, self-regulation and reflection.... 73-82 Section 4: Developing a practical strategy for researching the development of self-concept as a teacher 83-86 Section 5: Summary, conceptual framework and research questions 87-90 4. Methodology 91-110 Procedures 94-103 The Ideal Teacher— an example of the coding and analysis process/procedures used in the dissertation 103-109 Discussion 109-110 Summary 110 5. Findings: The Development of Self-Concept as a Teacher 111-208 Part 1: Personal stories about joining the PGCE, and ideas about the Self at the start of the course 112-116 Part 2: Self-Concept as a Teacher at Stage 1 .117-124 Part 3: Self-Concept as a Teacher at Stage 2 .125-133 4 Part 4: Self-Concept as a Teacher at Stage 3 .134-144 Part 5: Self-Concept as a Teacher at Stage 4 .145-158 Part 6: How Self-Concept changed over the course of the PGCE 159-182 Part 7: Reflective practice and process 183-197 Part 8: Comments about the PGCE course 198-208 6. Discussion 209-248 Part 1: The literature review and research findings 209-239 Part 2: A critique of the methodology and procedures ..240-244 Part 3: Conclusions and recommendations 245-248 References 249-263 Appendices 1. Key writers and ideas that contribute to the formation of the Internal Metaphor Group 264-266 The Geographic Metaphor .264-265 The Biological Metaphor 265 The Biographical/Narrative Metaphor .265-266 2. Key writers and ideas that contribute to the formation of the External Metaphor Group 267-271 The Taxonomic/Identity Metaphor 267 The Anthropological/Culture Metaphor 267-269 The Sociological Metaphor 269-271 3. Key writers and ideas that contribute to the formation of the Interface (Boundary) Metaphor Group 272-278 The Social Self Metaphor 272-275 The Philosophical Metaphor 275-276 The Dialogical Metaphor 276-278 4. Key writers and ideas that contribute to the formation of the Ecological Metaphor Group 279-282 5. Comparison of metaphors for intelligence and self-concept 283 6. Interview questions Stages 1-4 and topics covered by the questions 284-286 7. CD-Rom of all transcripts for the study 287 8. Sample transcripts - Olivia Stages 1-4 288-312 9. Attribute Table 313-315 10. Nodes used in coding 316-318 5 11. The pilot study — results 319-352 12. Appeal for volunteers - OHP slides 353-355 13. Appeal for volunteers - explanatory letter 356-358 14. Thoughts on organising the coding 359-369 Ideas about my research study, the sample and NVIVO: Part 1 359-362 Summary of approach to coding: Part 2 .363 Thoughts on organising the coding: Part 3 364-369 6 List of Tables and Figures Figures 1. Horizontal and vertical knowledge concerning self-concept 28 2. Self-regulatory processing frameworks for the study of personality dispositions (or type) 51 3. Possible selves — a dynamic for change 55 4. Hypothesising relationships between variations and effectiveness 77 5. Key mediating influences on the formation of teacher identity 80 6. The development of self-concept as a teacher 88 7. The relationship between topic codes and the conceptual framework for the study 100 8. The conceptual framework at stage 2 133 9. The conceptual framework at stage 3 144 10. The conceptual framework at stage 4 158 11. Two contrasting 'Hierarchy of Needs' models 269 12. Positioning Theory 278 13. Rating scale for 'beginning — expert' teacher 329 Tables 1. Sternberg's six metaphor groups for intelligence — plus an overall 'systems' category 33 2. Metaphors relating to the internal world of the individual 36 3. Metaphors relating to the external world of the individual 38 4. Metaphors relating to the internal and external world of the individual (the boundary) 40 5. Metaphors relating to the ecological world of the individual 42 6. Comparison of metaphors for intelligence and self-concept 283 7. A conceptual framework encompassing metaphors concerning self-concept 44 8. Schematic outline of the course design 93 9. Summary details of the sample for the longitudinal study 95 10. Total sample: respondents and stages 96 11. Matching the interview questions (topics) against the research questions 98-99 12. Definitions of 12 topics used as nodes 101-103 13. Ratings for change in self since the start of the PGCE 162 14. Ratings for change in self since the interview at stage 3 171 15. Summary of changes in self-concept over stage 2-4 182 7 Chapter 1 Introduction The Tai Chi represents the balance between the opposing forces necessary to produce the world of forms. Each carries within it the seed of the other. (Fontana, 1993, p. 129) My thesis examines the development of self-concept as a teacher within a group of trainees who started and finished a one-year, full time, PGCE for Secondary School teachers. Within that rather specific research context, the central, and more generic, question addressed by the thesis is: How are actual and possible selves involved in the development of self-concept as a teacher? What role does self-regulation play in the process of transformation? My professional role as a teacher trainer, over many years, has brought me into close contact with adults who experienced change, who sometimes embraced or resisted change, and who varied in their awareness and understanding of the changes that happened to their sense of self, their self-concept as a teacher. My own reflective experience too, as an adult learner, was that my understanding of 'what is possible for me' changed as I grew older and those changes in turn influenced my behaviour. I became interested in the seemingly self-regulating nature of different kinds of personal change and resolved that one day I would examine how self-concept is capable of change at all. This thesis presents the outcome of my research and findings. In order to introduce the study and to provide a bounded context for the discussion, the thesis begins by briefly examining ideas and understandings about change in general, and considers transformational changes within educational settings.