(De)constructing Identity In The Liminal Space: Student Teacher Narratives Using Photovoice

ASU Author/Contributor (non-ASU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Nicole Welz (Creator)
Institution
Appalachian State University (ASU )
Web Site: https://library.appstate.edu/
Advisor
Elizabeth Bellows

Abstract: The student teaching semester has become a rite of passage for beginning teachers and though ways in which student teachers experience the initiation looks differently for each candidate, it always entails identity construction. The purpose of this study was for the four participants to use narrative-photovoice in order to deconstruct how their identities form within the liminal space of student teaching. Student teacher identity in this particular liminal space brings to light the inevitable negotiating between multiple positions of power. Narrative-photovoice is a blend of narrative inquiry and photovoice, which invites participants to take photos of their experiences. Results of this study showed that identity work is not linear. To illustrate these results, I developed a figure to represent the multiple continua on which the participants oscillated as they constructed/deconstructed their identity in terms of humanization/dehumanization, codependency/independency, and passivity/agency. Implications for stakeholders, i.e., teacher educators, professors, field supervisors, colleges of education, and cooperating teachers point to purposely engaging in identity work with student teachers during this crucial time in a teacher’s journey. In addition to identity work, the use of narrative-photovoice brings clarity to what happens on the multiple identity continua and gives voice and agency to student teachers.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Welz, N. (2020). (De)constructing Identity In The Liminal Space: Student Teacher Narratives Using Photovoice. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation. Appalachian State University, Boone, NC.
Language: English
Date: 2020
Keywords
Narrative-Photovoice and student teacher identity, Student teacher identity (de)construction, Student teachers in the liminal space, Photovoice

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