From Physics to Language, from Teacher to Teacher Trainer: A Narrative Study

Date

2019-04-10

Author

Gümüşok, Fatma
Seferoğlu, Gölge

Metadata

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There is an established relationship between student learning and the quality of teachers, which renders researchers to explore who teachers are as a professional group and what practices they perform. However, such a link is absent in educating/training teachers. In the Turkish context, where frequent changes occur in the educational structure, especially in language teaching, minimal attention is paid to teacher trainers who primarily guide teachers through these latest updates. Therefore, this study investigates a personal history of a successful language teacher trainer within the framework of professional identity. This research draws on Davey’s (2013) theoretical lens for professional identity of teacher educators. In doing so, narrative inquiry was chosen as the methodological approach; a series of three consecutive interviews, four hours and 40 minutes in total, was conducted with a language teacher trainer with a background in physics teaching. The interviews navigated the trainer’s motivation and aspiration, job description, knowledge and expertise, personal approaches, and understanding of group membership. The qualitative analysis revealed that pursuing an academic degree and the desire to excel in the teaching job induced the participant to train teachers. Regarding her unconventional expertise-physics teaching- as a resource, the trainer achieved to be a source of inspiration through reflective practices in adult education. Being a member of a successful group of practitioners, and adopting pastoral and nurturing roles further established her identity as a teacher trainer. The study concluded that not only academic and professional qualities but also affective characteristics enhanced teacher trainers’ success.

Subject Keywords

Professional identity, Narrative, Teacher trainer

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/76008
https://www.iltergconference.org/copy-of-abstract-submission-1

Conference Name

ILTERG Conference, (8 - 10 April 2019)

Collections

Department of Foreign Language Education, Conference / Seminar

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Citation Formats

F. Gümüşok and G. Seferoğlu, “From Physics to Language, from Teacher to Teacher Trainer: A Narrative Study,” presented at the ILTERG Conference, (8 - 10 April 2019), Antalya, Türkiye, 2019, Accessed: 00, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://hdl.handle.net/11511/76008.