Effects of Working Conditions on Teachers' Professional Identity as Revealed Through Their Narratives and Emotional Experiences: A Case Study of Primary School Efl Teachers by
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Date
2013-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Teachers all over the world play pivotal and multifaceted roles in their societies. They are the
main actors in realizing educational objectives, aims and goals. They are often called upon in the
process of developing and transforming their communities. Yet, teachers are often expected to
shoulder all of these responsibilities without sufficient support. In Ethiopia, where teachers are
considered as ‘essential agents for positive societal change’, it is questionable to what extent they
are motivated and capable of accomplishing this national ideal under their present working and
living conditions.
Using this state of affairs and the teacher researcher’s own lived experiences as a point
of departure, this study set out to elucidate the effects of working conditions on
professional identity of EFL teachers within the Ethiopian government, second cycle
primary school system. Drawing on emotional and narrative experiences of individual
teachers and descriptions of their entrenched professional perspectives, the study sought
to understand the dynamic and complex interaction between teachers’ working
conditions, emotions arising from these conditions, and professional identity.
The participants of the study are seven experienced EFL teachers drawn from five
government second-cycle primary schools in Adama and the neighboring towns. The
research employed a qualitative research approach, drawing on Lazarus’ socialpsychological
framework of emotion and Kelchtermans’ perspective of professional
identity in order to interpret the critical incidents and day-to-day encounters of the
teachers. The research problem and the nature of the data sought prompted the use of
two methods of data generation, namely, narrative interviewing and research journals.
Data gathered through narrative interviews were transcribed, translated to English and
coded to facilitate the process of analysis and interpretation. The research journals
helped to document the researcher’s personal observations of the participants’ behaviors
and of the research contexts and to supplement the interview data. Qualitative content
analysis involving several stages was employed to analyze and interpret the data. Each
participant's transcripts were analyzed individually so as to maintain unique feelings and
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experiences of individual cases. Cross-case analyses were also made to discover shared
experiences and commonalities.
The findings generally indicated a complex interaction between teachers’ working
conditions and their professional identity. The teachers revealed complex emotional
responses, both in positive and negative terms, to challenges and opportunities embedded
in their professional and social
landscapes. The findings illustrate that the teachers experience positive emotions when
their various concerns and aspects of their professional identity are reinforced by
intrinsic factors within their career. By contrast, they experience a range of negative
emotions when their concerns and professional identity are threatened predominantly as
a consequence of extrinsic influences of their working conditions. In spite of this, all of
them have displayed a highly positive perception of teaching, a strong sense of
professionalism, and, for the majority of them, a tendency to stay in their profession. On
the basis of the findings obtained and the conclusions drawn thereof, the study provides
recommendations for key stakeholders and highlights implications for further research.
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A Case Study of Primary School Efl Teachers by