Exploring teacher identity tensions and coping strategies in a comparative case study of primary school teachers’ narratives

Bibliographic Data

ID7169465
AuthorsHaoran Liu (0000-0003-4139-6462, Xiamen University, corresponding author), Pam Sammons (0000-0001-6988-6784, University of Oxford), Ian Menter (0000-0001-6283-7496, University of Oxford)
Year2025
Volume31
Issue3
Pages419-452
Publication date2025-04-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueTeachers and Teaching (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1354-0602 • E-ISSN: 1470-1278
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13540602.2023.2288627
OpenAlexW4389191055
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited101

Teacher professional identities are considered crucial to link teachers’ personal experiences with the social and professional changes needed for improved learning in schools. In this research study, we aim to investigate teachers’ identity tensions and coping strategies in four different school contexts in Nanqi (a pseudonym) County in China. A constructivist perspective guided the choice of a qualitative approach to inquiry in this study. Ambiguities, tensions, and culturally specific references coexisted in teacher professional identities and individual teachers’ ethical and emotional pursuit of integrity and purpose at work. Employing the research strategy of narrative inquiry, this study suggested forms of tensions when teachers attempt to align their multiple and often conflicting sub identities in changing and diversifying school contexts, namely, emotional tensions, social tensions, developmental tensions and ethical tensions. Our research findings detail the circumstances that trigger different types of identity tension and how teachers experience and respond to them in different ways, which link with different working contexts and teachers’ focus of professional development. The results also reveal the need for greater recognition of ‘negative’ aspects of teachers’ professional identity development and the value of longitudinal research designs to further facilitate the exploration.KEYWORDS: Teacher identityidentity tensionprimary school teacherseducation in China AcknowledgmentsWe are grateful to the editors and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments. We would like to thank the anonymised participants for sharing their stories.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationFundingThis research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors

Narrative · Narrative inquiry · Pedagogy · Political science · Professional development · Pseudonym · Qualitative research · Social constructivism · Social science · Sociology · Educational and Psychological Assessments · Educator Training and Historical Pedagogy · Psychology · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

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