Troubled Craft and Novice Teachers: An Ethnographic Account of Emerging Professional Identities of Novice Teachers in the English Lifelong Learning Sector

摘要

In adopting a qualitative, ethnographically informed approach this thesisudexplores the identity formation of novice teachers in the lifelong learning sectorudin England. The research is concerned with four areas for inquiry: how noviceudteachers perceive the relationship between their professional practices,udexperiences and emerging teacher identities; the usefulness of the concept ofud'craft' in sociological writings to theorise the identities of novice teachers; theudappropriateness of a digital ethnographic methodological approach enablingudeffective research into teachers lives in this sector; and, the applicability ofudonline asynchronous blogging practices to support the development of theudprofessional practices by novice teachers in the lifelong learning sector inudEngland. The identity and pedagogic practices of these novice teachers areudcontextualised by the ‘turbulent times’ for both the workplace of this sector andudthe teacher education that supports entrants into this sector. The fieldwork forudthe research follows two cohorts of new entrants into first-time employmentudacross an 18-month period. In developing an understanding of craft identities,udblogging practices are developed as a methodological tool within a digitaludethnographic approach, exploring the potential for this revised ethnography.udThe use of reflective practices through online tools to generate data isudconceived herein as an ‘epistemology of doing’: a research practice that in turnudsupports in an ethical way the lives and social practices of those whoudparticipate. The findings of the thesis suggest (contrary to use of the term craftudby neo-liberalism) that novice teachers’ craft practice and craft identity are audpotentially stable basis for sustained practice in the otherwise turbulent lifelongudlearning sector. However, this ‘stable basis’ also provides contradictions,uduneasy relations, compromises and insurmountable challenges whenudbuttressed against the performativity cultures of the sector.