Exploring Identities of Mid-Career Math and Science Teachers Through Creative and Visual Interviews

• In Event: Teacher Agency for Professional and Personal Growth

Abstract

We attempt to answer AERA’s call that “To Know is Not Enough”, by looking beyond what Nolan and de Freitas (2008) decry as “previous models for research, which have been tied perhaps too closely to cognitive theory and large-scale qualitative methods” (2008, p. 2). Because exploring the professional identities in which STEM teachers view themselves is still a relatively new field of research, this study examines the identities of ten mid-career math and science teachers through creative interviews that focus on teacher-generated visual artifacts. The forthcoming results could be relevant for in-service teacher educators and the broader education community interested in the lives of teachers as situated within the construct of teacher identity and professional empowerment.

Authors

• Theodore Chao, Harvard University

• Amy L. Moreland, The University of Texas - Austin