Correo Electrónico
DNINFOA - SIA
Bibliotecas
Convocatorias
Identidad U.N.
Published
“It Feels Like a Performance When I Teach Online”: Autoethnography of Tensions in Teacher Identity
“Se siente como una actuación cuando enseño en línea”: análisis autoetnográfico de las tensiones en la identidad docente
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v25n2.104914Keywords:
autoethnography, COVID-19, English language teaching, performativity, teacher identity, teaching online (en)autoetnografía, COVID-19, enseñanza del inglés, enseñanza en línea, identidad docente, performatividad (es)
This autoethnographic study examined the tensions affecting the identity of a teacher in charge of an online English academic writing module during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reflections written over one academic year were examined using performativity as an analytical lens. The analysis identified three types of tensions: performing for proximity, performing to meet the institution’s and student’s expectations, and continuously changing performances. These tensions highlight the teacher’s performativity when using technology, which ultimately configured his teacher identity. From these tensions, the paradox of technology may be observed. Specifically, tools supposedly productive for an online class may not necessarily be well received by students and may burden the teacher.
Este estudio autoetnográfico examinó las tensiones que afectaron la identidad de un profesor de inglés mientras impartía un módulo virtual de escritura académica durante la pandemia de COVID-19. Con base en la performatividad, se examinaron las reflexiones escritas del participante recopiladas durante un año académico. Así, surgieron tres tipos de tensión: actuar por proximidad, actuar para cumplir con las expectativas de la institución y de los estudiantes y tener que cambiar continuamente de desempeño. Estas tensiones resaltaron la performatividad del participante en el uso de la tecnología —que finalmente configuró su identidad docente— y permitieron observar que las herramientas supuestamente productivas para una clase virtual pueden no ser necesariamente bien recibidas por los estudiantes y pueden terminar siendo una carga para el profesor.
References
Adedoyin, O. B., & Soykan, E. (2020). Covid-19 pandemic and online learning: The challenges and opportunities. Interactive Learning Environments, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2020.1813180
Ball, S. J. (2003). The teacher’s soul and the terrors of performativity. Journal of Education Policy, 18(2), 215–228. https://doi.org/10.1080/0268093022000043065
Beauchamp, C., & Thomas, L. (2009). Understanding teacher identity: An overview of issues in the literature and implications for teacher education. Cambridge Journal of Education, 39(2), 175–189. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057640902902252
Blau, I., Shamir-Inbal, T., & Avdiel, O. (2020). How does the pedagogical design of a technology-enhanced collaborative academic course promote digital literacies, self-regulation, and perceived learning of students? The Internet and Higher Education, 45, 100722. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2019.100722
Bowman, E. (2022, August 26). Scanning students’ rooms during remote tests is unconstitutional, judge rules. NPR. https://n.pr/3EKUCdF
Buchanan, R. (2015). Teacher identity and agency in an era of accountability. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 21(6), 700–719. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2015.1044329
Canagarajah, A. S. (2012). Teacher development in a global profession: An autoethnography. TESOL Quarterly, 46(2), 258–279. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.18
Choi, H., Chung, S.-Y., & Ko, J. (2021). Rethinking teacher education policy in ICT: Lessons from emergency remote teaching (ERT) during the COVID-19 pandemic period in Korea. Sustainability, 13(10), 5480. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105480
Chun, C. W. (2009). Contesting neoliberal discourses in EAP: Critical praxis in an IEP classroom. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 8(2), 111–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2008.09.005
Chung, E., Subramaniam, G., & Dass, L. C. (2020). Online learning readiness among university students in Malaysia amidst COVID-19. Asian Journal of University Education, 16(2), 45–58. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24191/ajue.v16i2.10294
Cohen, J. L. (2008). ‘That’s not treating you as a professional’: Teachers constructing complex professional identities through talk. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 14(2), 79–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540600801965861
Collie, R. J. (2021). COVID-19 and teachers’ somatic burden, stress, and emotional exhaustion: Examining the role of principal leadership and workplace buoyancy. AERA Open, 7. https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858420986187
Davis, N. L., Gough, M., & Taylor, L. L. (2019). Online teaching: Advantages, obstacles and tools for getting it right. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 19(3), 256–263. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313220.2019.1612313
Day, C., Kington, A., Stobart, G., & Sammons, P. (2006). The personal and professional selves of teachers: Stable and unstable identities. British Educational Research Journal, 32(4), 601–616. https://doi.org/10.1080/01411920600775316
Delivering quality education through blended learning and international exposure. (2021, December 1). NUS News. https://nus.edu/3UdKYG3
Diehl, D. K. (2019). Teacher professional learning communities and institutional complexity: Negotiating tensions between institutional logics. Sociological Spectrum, 39(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/02732173.2018.1564099
Enyedy, N., Goldberg, J., & Welsh, K. M. (2006). Complex dilemmas of identity and practice. Science Education, 90(1), 68–93. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.20096
Gleason, N. W. (2018). Singapore’s higher education systems in the era of the fourth Industrial Revolution: Preparing lifelong learners. In N. W. Gleason (Ed.), Higher education in the era of the fourth Industrial Revolution (pp. 145–169). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0194-0_7
Gray, P. L., & Seiki, S. (2020). Institutional performativity pressure and first-year teachers. Frontiers in Education, 5, 71. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.00071
Haidar, S., & Fang, F. (2019). English language in education and globalization: A comparative analysis of the role of English in Pakistan and China. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 39(2), 165–176. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2019.1569892
Hickey, A., & Austin, J. (2007). Autoethnography and teacher development. The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, 2(2), 369–378. https://doi.org/10.18848/1833-1882/CGP/v02i02/52189
Hofer, S. I., Nistor, N., & Scheibenzuber, C. (2021). Online teaching and learning in higher education: Lessons learned in crisis situations. Computers in Human Behavior, 121, 106789. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106789
Holloway, J., & Brass, J. (2018). Making accountable teachers: The terrors and pleasures of performativity. Journal of Education Policy, 33(3), 361–382. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680939.2017.1372636
Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK)? Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1), 60–70. https://www.learntechlib.org/p/29544/
Kupers, E., Mouw, J. M., & Fokkens-Bruinsma, M. (2022). Teaching in times of COVID-19: A mixed-method study into teachers’ teaching practices, psychological needs, stress, and well-being. Teaching and Teacher Education, 115, 103724. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103724
Lambert, K., & Gray, C. (2021). Hyper-performativity and early career teachers: Interrogating teacher subjectivities in neoliberal educational assemblages. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/01596306.2021.1933912
Littlejohn, A., Gourlay, L., Kennedy, E., Logan, K., Neumann, T., Oliver, M., Potter, J., Rode, J. A. (2021). Moving teaching online: Cultural barriers experienced by university teachers during Covid-19. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 1(7), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.5334/jime.631
Loo, D. B. (2017). Trust the researcher? Autoethnography as a tool to study English teaching professionals. In King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (Org.), Proceedings: Doing Research in Applied Linguistics 3 and 19th English in South-East Asia Conference, 2017 (pp. 45–58). Knowledge Exchange for Innovation Center. https://bit.ly/3ANOXlB
Loo, D. B. (2020). Integrating critical thinking in online language tasks: Considerations for an academic writing class. International Journal of TESOL Studies, 2(2), 52–61. https://doi.org/10.46451/ijts.2020.09.05
Loo, D. B. (2021). The language ecology of graduate students: An exploration through vocabulary contribution. Issues in Language Studies, 10(2), 65–82. https://doi.org/10.33736/ils.3903.2021
Loo, D. B., & Sairattanain, J. (2021). Disrupting discourses of deficiency in English for academic purposes: Dialogic reflection with a critical friend. Pedagogy, Culture & Society. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2021.1947355
Loo, D. B., Trakulkasemsuk, W., & Jimarkon, P. (2017). Examining narratives of conflict and agency: Insights into non-local English teacher identity. The Journal of Asia TEFL, 14(2), 292–306. https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2017.14.2.6.292
Low, S. P., Gao, S., & Ng, E. W. L. (2019). Future-ready project and facility management graduates in Singapore for industry 4.0: Transforming mindsets and competencies. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 28(1), 270–290. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-08-2018-0322
Marshall, D. T., Shannon, D. M., & Love, S. M. (2020). How teachers experienced the COVID-19 transition to remote instruction. Phi Delta Kappan, 102(3), 46–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031721720970702
Mockler, N. (2011). Beyond ‘what works’: Understanding teacher identity as a practical and political tool. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 17(5), 517–528. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2011.602059
Nazari, M., & Seyri, H. (2021). Covidentity: Examining transitions in teacher identity construction from personal to online classes. European Journal of Teacher Education, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2021.1920921
Ng, D. F. S., & Wong, C. P. (2020). The role of school leadership in Singapore’s future‐ready school reform. European Journal of Education, 55(2), 183–199. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12392
Noonan, J. (2019). An affinity for learning: Teacher identity and powerful professional development. Journal of Teacher Education, 70(5), 526–537. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487118788838
O’Keeffe, S., & Skerritt, C. (2021). Exploring teacher identity using poststructural tools. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 44(2), 179–192. https://doi.org/10.1080/1743727X.2020.1753691
Perryman, J., & Calvert, G. (2020). What motivates people to teach, and why do they leave? Accountability, performativity and teacher retention. British Journal of Educational Studies, 68(1), 3–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/00071005.2019.1589417
Phillips, L. G., Cain, M., Ritchie, J., Campbell, C., Davis, S., Brock, C., Burke, G., Coleman, K., & Joosa, E. (2021). Surveying and resonating with teacher concerns during COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2021.1982691
Pillow, W. (2003). Confession, catharsis, or cure? Rethinking the uses of reflexivity as methodological power in qualitative research. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 16(2), 175–196. https://doi.org/10.1080/0951839032000060635
Sachs, J. (2005). Teacher education and the development of professional identity: Learning to be a teacher. In M. Kompf & P. Denicolo (Eds.), Connecting policy and practice: Challenges for teaching and learning in schools and universities (pp. 5–21). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203012529
Sahling, J., & De Carvalho, R. (2021). Understanding teacher identity as an international teacher: An autoethnographic approach to (developing) reflective practice. Journal of Research in International Education, 20(1), 33–49. https://doi.org/10.1177/14752409211005380
Stanley, P. (2019). Autoethnography and ethnography in English language teaching. In X. Gao (Ed.), Second handbook of English language teaching (pp. 1–20). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58542-0_55-1
Sullivan, A., Johnson, B., Simons, M., & Tippett, N. (2021). When performativity meets agency: How early career teachers struggle to reconcile competing agendas to become ‘quality’ teachers. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 27(5), 388–403. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2020.1806050
Sydnor, J. (2017). “I didn’t realize how hard it would be!”: Tensions and transformations in becoming a teacher. Action in Teacher Education, 39(2), 218–236. https://doi.org/10.1080/01626620.2016.1226202
Tan, J. P. L., Choo, S. S., Kang, T., & Liem, G. A. D. (2017). Educating for twenty-first century competencies and future-ready learners: Research perspectives from Singapore. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 37(4), 425–436. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2017.1405475
VanLone, J., Pansé-Barone, C., & Long, L. (2022). Teacher preparation and the COVID-19 disruption: Understanding the impact and implications for novice teachers. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 3, 100120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2021.100120
Varghese, M., Morgan, B., Johnston, B., & Johnson, K. A. (2005). Theorizing language teacher identity: Three perspectives and beyond. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 4(1), 21–44. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327701jlie0401_2
Vick, M. J., & Martinez, C. (2011). Teachers and teaching: Subjectivity, performativity and the body. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 43(2), 178–192. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-5812.2009.00552.x
Watermeyer, R., Chen, Z., & Ang, B. J. (2021). ‘Education without limits’: The digital resettlement of post-secondary education and training in Singapore in the COVID-19 era. Journal of Education Policy, 37(6), 861–882. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680939.2021.1933198
Zhao, W. (2016). Academic English teaching for postgraduates based on self-regulated learning environment: A case study of academic reading course. English Language Teaching, 9(5), 214–224. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v9n5p214
How to Cite
APA
ACM
ACS
ABNT
Chicago
Harvard
IEEE
MLA
Turabian
Vancouver
Download Citation
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Daron Benjamin Loo
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
You are authorized to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format as long as you give appropriate credit to the authors of the articles and to Profile: Issues in Teachers' Professional Development as original source of publication. The use of the material for commercial purposes is not allowed. If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.
Authors retain the intellectual property of their manuscripts with the following restriction: first publication is granted to Profile: Issues in Teachers' Professional Development.
