21st century teachers: how non-traditional pre-service teachers navigate their initial experiences of contemporary classrooms. Issue 4 (8th August 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Crosswell, Leanne; Beutel, Denise
• Is Part Of: Asia-Pacific journal of teacher education. Volume 45:Issue 4(2017)
• Page Start: 416
• Page End: 431
• Publication Date: 2017-08-08
• Subjects: Teacher resilience -- teacher identitiy -- transactional-ecological; Teachers -- Training of -- Australasia -- Periodicals; Teachers -- Training of -- Pacific Area -- Periodicals; 370.71095
• DOI: 10.1080/1359866X.2017.1312281
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1359-866X

Abstract

ABSTRACT: In the twenty-first century, teachers' work has become more complex with high levels of accountability, increased bureaucratic responsibilities and unprecedented levels of public scrutiny. However, teaching fundamentally remains a caring profession, requiring well-developed social skills and emotional labour to successfully engage and motivate students. Teachers need resilience to thrive in these environments of intense and often conflicting pressures. Drawing on a transactional-ecological modelthis qualitative study explored the resilience and teacher identity development of a cohort of pre-service career-change teachers as they navigated their initial experiences in contemporary classrooms. The findings indicate that this cohort arrived to teacher education with teacher identities strongly aligned with a broad conceptualisation of care as active practice. This paper discusses how their identities and capacities for resilience were challenged and reviewed during their classroom experiences and the implications for teacher education and the profession.