Negotiating a New Culture: Immigrant Teachers Crafting Their Professional Identity

• In Event: 14.044 - Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: 14.044-14 - Lives of Teachers: Cognitive and Affective Features

Abstract

A growing number of teachers with international backgrounds are teaching in xxx schools, each of whom brings different resources to the educational setting. This paper discusses the findings of a narrative study of teachers with an international background who teach in compulsory schools in xxx. The purpose of the study was to explore the teachers’ stories in order to develop a better understanding of how they draw on their linguistic and cultural resources in their teaching and develop their professional identities. Six teachers were asked to reflect on opportunities and challenges they experienced as immigrant teachers. Four main themes emerged from the teacher narratives: negotiating a new culture, teacher identity, vision, and professional development.

Author

• Hafdis Gudjonsdottir, University of Iceland