Signposting foundation phase teachers’ professional identities in selected Western Cape primary schools, South Africa
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Date
2018
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Education Association South Africa
Abstract
The aim of this article is to report on the Foundation Phase (FP) teachers’ professional identities in two primary schools in
the Western Cape. This is meant to serve as a basis for understanding teachers’ identities with regard to their teaching
experience, qualifications, specialised knowledge base, and ongoing professional development. The article is based on data
collected by means of a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with the FP teachers in two township schools where
isiXhosa is used as the medium of instruction in the Foundation Phase (Grades R to Three). We argue that while teacher
identity research has received attention across the globe in the past four decades, little is known about the implications of
teacher professional identity for literacy teaching in South African classrooms, especially where an African language is used
as a language of learning and teaching. Our findings reveal the pluricentric nature of the FP teachers’ qualifications and
backgrounds. We conclude that FP teachers’ professional identity (TPI) cannot be conceptualised in a simplistic and
unidimensional way, but can be viewed as an intersectional construct that impacts on literacy instructional practices.
Description
Keywords
Early childhood development, Foundation phase, Identity, Teaching and learning, South Africa
Citation
Nomlomo, V. et al. (2018). Signposting foundation phase teachers’ professional identities in selected Western Cape primary schools, South Africa. South African Journal of Education, 10,1416. https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v38ns2a1416