A Case Study Analysis of Preservice Technology Education Students’ Professional Identity Transition

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Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Klieve, Helen
Other Supervisors
Middleton, Howard
McDonald, Christine
Finger, Glenn
Year published
2017
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This thesis investigates the factors that shape the professional identity of preservice Technology Education (TE) students who are transitioning from trade and technical workplaces to university in order to become secondary TE teachers. During the period that this research was undertaken, TE underwent major curriculum changes and this succession of curriculum change generated high levels of tension and confusion in TE (Seemann, 2003), resulting in a change in identity for secondary TE teachers (Harfield, 2014; Williams, 2012) and a resistance to further TE curriculum changes (Howard & Mozejko, 2015). As such, the challenges ...
View more >This thesis investigates the factors that shape the professional identity of preservice Technology Education (TE) students who are transitioning from trade and technical workplaces to university in order to become secondary TE teachers. During the period that this research was undertaken, TE underwent major curriculum changes and this succession of curriculum change generated high levels of tension and confusion in TE (Seemann, 2003), resulting in a change in identity for secondary TE teachers (Harfield, 2014; Williams, 2012) and a resistance to further TE curriculum changes (Howard & Mozejko, 2015). As such, the challenges associated with professional identity development must be addressed to enable the effective transition of a preservice TE student to a TE teacher. This study focuses on the professional identity changes required to support the modifications to the TE curriculum and seeks to identify a way to promote professional identity transition. This study utilises six case studies. The data was collected during the first semester of preservice teachers study in a TE Foundation course. The data was collected through entry folios that were compiled to gain entry into the Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programme, entry and exit concept maps, and observation of authentic activity, online reflective journaling, and semi-formal interviews. The use of multiple case studies allowed both micro and macro data analysis to discern similarities and differences in the results across all participants involved (Creswell, 2009). A comprehensive cross-case analysis enabled an in-depth comparison to be conducted.
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View more >This thesis investigates the factors that shape the professional identity of preservice Technology Education (TE) students who are transitioning from trade and technical workplaces to university in order to become secondary TE teachers. During the period that this research was undertaken, TE underwent major curriculum changes and this succession of curriculum change generated high levels of tension and confusion in TE (Seemann, 2003), resulting in a change in identity for secondary TE teachers (Harfield, 2014; Williams, 2012) and a resistance to further TE curriculum changes (Howard & Mozejko, 2015). As such, the challenges associated with professional identity development must be addressed to enable the effective transition of a preservice TE student to a TE teacher. This study focuses on the professional identity changes required to support the modifications to the TE curriculum and seeks to identify a way to promote professional identity transition. This study utilises six case studies. The data was collected during the first semester of preservice teachers study in a TE Foundation course. The data was collected through entry folios that were compiled to gain entry into the Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programme, entry and exit concept maps, and observation of authentic activity, online reflective journaling, and semi-formal interviews. The use of multiple case studies allowed both micro and macro data analysis to discern similarities and differences in the results across all participants involved (Creswell, 2009). A comprehensive cross-case analysis enabled an in-depth comparison to be conducted.
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Thesis Type
Thesis (Professional Doctorate)
Degree Program
Doctor of Education (EdD)
School
School of Education and Professional Studies
Copyright Statement
The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.
Item Access Status
Public
Subject
Preservice teachers
Secondary technology education teachers
Teacher identity
Transition to work