Reflective writing, reflecting on identities: The construction of writer identity in student teachers’ reflections
Abstract
The study focuses on student teachers’ reflective writing as an academic literacies practice. Data are drawn from a combined ethnographic approach to student teachers’ reflective writing on their practicum experience in a Primary Education Department of a Greek University.
Ivanič’ (1998) framework on the construction of writer identity is employed in order to explore the resources and the discourses which student teachers deploy to position themselves with or against academic and professional discourses available in the socio-culturally bounded context of Teacher Education in Greece. The discourses under negotiation resonate socially circulating discourses that underpin the formation of student teachers’ professional identity. Given the specifications of the genre and the specifications of the context, reflective writing could possibly call for a transformative approach to academic writing practices.
Reference
Vassilaki, E. (2017). Reflective writing, reflecting on identities: The construction of writer identity in student teachers’ reflections. Linguistics and Education, 42, 43-52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2017.08.001
Journal
Linguistics and Education
Analysis
Is this article part of a larger project or series of studies?
no
Does this study draw on a large, preexisting data set?
no
Research Approach
Geographic Setting
Institutional Context
Certification Level
Programatic Focus
Research Location Context
Preservice Participants
- Undergraduates (university based program)
Preservice Sample Size
60
Other Participant Data
- Faculty members associated with the practicum
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- Documents from Department website
- Interviews
- Written reflections
Data Analysis Tools
- Framework on writer identity (Ivanic, 1998)
- iterative analysis
- Thematic analysis
Researcher Positionality
- inside (staying their own students)
Research Questions
How do student teachers' constructions of writer identity in reflective pieces inform their development of teacher identity?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? No