From Experience to Identity

Autoethnographic Reflections on Becoming Educators in Pedagogy and Social Education

Bibliographic Data

ID22042527
AuthorsMaria Antònia Gomila Grau (0000-0003-2691-5594, Universitat de les Illes Balears, corresponding author), Victòria Quesada Serra (0000-0002-8881-2358, Universitat de les Illes Balears), M Bertran (0000-0003-4112-5195, Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona)
Year2025
Volume15
Issue8
Pages965
Publication date2025-07-26
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEducation Sciences (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2227-7102 • E-ISSN: 2227-7102
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/educsci15080965
OpenAlexW4412700336
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited14

(1) Background: The development of professional identity in future educators is a dynamic and multifaceted process, shaped by personal experiences, interpersonal relationships, role models, and the values internalized across diverse learning ecologies. This identity formation is closely intertwined with academic achievement, socio-educational integration, peer interactions, and the underlying motivations for choosing a particular educational and professional trajectory. This study explores the connections between students’ educational experiences and their motivation to pursue careers in pedagogy and social education. (2) Methods: Based on 138 autoethnographic narratives written by undergraduate students enrolled in Anthropology of Education courses at two [Spanish] universities. (3) Results: The analysis reveals how reflective engagement with personal educational histories enables students to reconstruct the relational foundations of their learning paths. These reflections inform their academic and career choices, which are understood not as static decisions, but as evolving trajectories shaped by a generational context characterized by uncertainty and change. (4) Conclusions: The findings highlight how students, through their narratives, articulate both their professional aspirations and a vision of the educator as an agent of change—one who emerges in response to, and often in critique of, the educational structures and practices

Aesthetics · Autoethnography · Higher education · Pedagogy · Political science · Sociology · Collaborative Teaching and Inclusion · Diverse Education Studies and Reforms · Educational Practices and Policies · Gender Studies · Psychology

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