Intersections of life histories and science identities: the stories of three preservice elementary teachers

ABSTRACT

Grounded within Connelly and Clandinin’s conceptualization of teachers’ professional identity in terms of ‘stories to live by’ and through a life-history lens, this multiple case study aimed to respond to the following questions: (a) How do three preservice elementary teachers view themselves as future science teachers? (b) How have the participants’ life histories shaped their science identity trajectories? In order to characterize the participants’ formation of science identities over time, various data regarding their life histories in relation to science were collected: science biographies, self-portraits, interviews, reflective journals, lesson plans, and classroom observations. The analysis of the data illustrated how the three participants’ identities have been in formation from the early years of their lives and how various events, experiences, and interactions had shaped their identities through time and across contexts. These findings are discussed alongside implications for theory, specifically, identity and life-history intersections, for teacher preparation, and for research related to explorations of beginning elementary teachers’ identity trajectories.

KEYWORDS:

• Science identity
• life-history
• preservice elementary teachers

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on Contributor

Lucy Avraamidou is Associate professor of science education. Her interests include teacher learning and development and her research is associated with theoretical and empirical explorations of what it means to understand and teach science, with the use of qualitative approaches and through the lens of identity.