A teacher's identity trajectory within a context of change

• Main Authors: Marietjie Oswald, Mariechen Perold
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Education Association of South Africa 2015-02-01
• Series: South African Journal of Education
• Subjects: agency; CHAT; disadvantaged context; emerging economy; identity trajectory; practical activity; primary school; teacher; transformation
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0256-01002015000100012&lng=en&tlng=en

This article examines the effects of political, socio-economic and educational change on a South African teacher's identity trajectory. Our research was conducted at a primary school in a historically disadvantaged community in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. We applied a cultural-historical activity theoretical (CHAT) lens to explore the identity trajectory of one of the teachers. Our findings suggest that a teacher's identity is a social product, drawn from social history, actively internalized and re-authored in response to new circumstances. This was especially evident during the transformation at the macro-political, educational and institutional levels in South Africa since 1994.