Investigating grade R teacher institutional identity presented in policy and expressed through narrative in a time of transition
- Authors: Long, Roxanne
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: Early childhood education -- South Africa , Early childhood education -- Government policy -- South Africa , Child development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/171346 , vital:42051 , 10.21504/10962/171346
- Description: This study investigated Grade R (reception year) teacher institutional identity presented in policy and expressed through teacher narratives. The study was conducted in the context of a major national policy transition that involved the physical and contextual shift of Grade R out of the Early Childhood Development sector and into the formal schooling sector. This study highlighted the way in which this shift has resulted in mixed policy messages, which have implications for Grade R teachers’ institutional identities and learning trajectories across their landscapes of practice. The thesis begins by exploring the South African Education context in general as well as the Early Childhood Development context in particular. In order to understand the institutional identities of Grade R teachers as both storied by others (in policy) and by themselves, the study conducted a documentary analysis of policy relating to Grade R teachers and Grade R teacher narrative expressions of their identities. The methodological approach of the study involved a qualitative approach, drawing on grounded theory analytical techniques to closely examine policy documents and teacher generated data gathered through interviews and questionnaires. The study was guided by a sociocultural perspective and drew on three key sociocultural theorists whose work provided complementary perspectives on teacher identity. Sfard and Prusak’s (2005) operationalization of identity as narratives was used to define the unit of analysis for the study (i.e. identities as stories). Gee’s (2000) definition and conceptualization of institutional identity was supplemented with Wenger-Trayner, Fenton-O'Creevy, Hutchinson, Kubiak, and Wenger-Trayner’s (2015) notion of identity as journeying across landscapes of practice. This complementary framing allowed for focused and detailed analysis of policy documents and Grade R teacher identity stories. The study addresses the research gap of an under-representation of identity research in early childhood teacher education and particularly in the South African context. This study is significant as it is the first study of its kind to explore the importance of identity formation for Grade R teachers as newcomers to the formal schooling landscape. Findings from the policy analysis point to mixed messages moving across a spectrum of descriptors from the not yet qualified ‘mothers and ‘caregivers’ to qualified ‘specialised’ educators. These descriptors have implications for the differentiated roles and responsibilities (institutional identity) of Grade R teachers. The findings from teacher identity narratives highlighted tension in the navigation of the policy promoted institutional identities. Teacher narratives pointed to vastly contrasting experiences of teachers with specialised and qualified institutional teacher identities to those with not yet qualified institutional identities. For the former, there were high levels of confidence in their job security and in terms of recognition received from others. For the latter, however, there was vulnerability in terms of the stability of their jobs and remuneration as well as low levels of recognition from others. The study draws on the findings from the analysis to suggest recommendations for Grade R policy, Grade R teacher education (both inservice and pre-service); as well as Grade R professional development initiatives.
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- Date Issued: 2021
An investigation into the promotion of productive learning dispositions in government policies and teacher assessment in Grade R and Grade 1
- Authors: Long, Roxanne
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Learning, Psychology of , Early childhood education -- Evaluation , Learning -- Evaluation , Educational psychology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2018 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017182
- Description: The impetus for this study came from the increasing acknowledgement of learning dispositions as a central, yet largely under explored area of numeracy learning, in both international education literature and in the current work conducted by the South African Numeracy Chair, based at Rhodes University. This coupled with my own personal interest in the crucial transitional phase between Grade R (the year before formal schooling) and Grade 1 and the role of developing progressively strengthened learning dispositions, particularly in relation to numeracy learning, to enable this transition. This, together with the lack of research around what constitutes a quality Grade R programme, especially in South Africa, inspired an investigation into the promotion of key productive learning dispositions within current government policy and in teacher assessment practices across Grade R and Grade 1 in six local schools. I designed a qualitative research study underpinned by a socio-cultural theoretical perspective that foregrounds learning. Within this broad theoretical perspective I drew on two key analytic frameworks that cohere with this socio cultural view that prioritises learning dispositions (ways of being, habits of mind). In particular the work of Kilpatrick et al. (2001) and Carr & Claxton (2010), in defining essential elements of key productive learning dispositions, were combined to enable the development of an indicator matrix used for the analysis of current government policy and teacher assessment practices in the Grade R and Grade 1. Additionally empirical data from the study enabled extension and adaptation of the indicator matrix derived from key literature. The research contributes an analysis of various curriculum and policy documents across Grade R and 1 in terms of the inclusion and promotion of learning dispositions. The presences of certain promoted dispositions are compared with international literature and frameworks and certain absences or under represented dispositions are noted. The empirical data derived from Gr R and Gr 1 teacher questionnaires and exemplar reports across 6 schools are analysed and related back to policy. Similarities and differences across teachers in different grades and teachers in different schools are discussed. The findings point towards several avenues of research and also provide an emergent dispositional discourse from empirical data, policy analysis and literature that could enable engagement between various stakeholders around the notion of learning dispositions as a central feature of schooling in the Grade R to Grade 1 transition. It is argued from the data that the inclusion of exemplar reports, in teacher assessment policy guides, which indicate possible ways to communicate dispositional priorities to both parents and learners, would assist teachers in achieving greater coherence between dispositions promoted in the classroom and those assessed and reported on.
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- Date Issued: 2015