Article Green Open Access 2014

An exploration of the development of academic identity in a School of Education

WE
White, Elizabeth
 RA
Roberts, Amanda Jane
 RM
Rees, Mary E.
 RM
Read, Mary
Professional Development in Education
Journal · Vol. 40 · Issue 1 · pp. 56-70
Abstract

This paper explores the complex processes involved in the self-construction of academic identity in a UK School of Education. Building on seminal literature in this field and drawing on the research of four academics, it begins by discussing teacher educators' varying perceptions of the need to re-configure their identity to meet the expectations of a twenty-first-century higher education workforce. The article proposes the formation of this identity to be a dynamic, career-long process. Diverse scaffolds for the development process are proposed, including opportunities for new teacher educators to be apprenticed into an academic role, the centrality of communities of practice and the importance of the supported development of academic skills such as writing for publication. © 2013 International Professional Development Association (IPDA).

Keywords

Author Keywords

Apprenticeship communities of practice teacher educators Academic identity academic writing multiple identities

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
School of Education, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
Funding & Acknowledgements
No funding information
References 10 References
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10 Blackmore, Paul, A categorisation of approaches to occupational analysis, Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 51, 1, pp. 61-78, (1999)
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