Becoming a safe adult for pupils: emotions as part of first-year student teachers’ narrative identities told with photographs

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article focuses on first-year student teachers’ emotions as part of their narrative identities. Alongside narrative research, arts-based methods were employed. The research material consists of 36 Finnish student teachers’ autobiographical writings based on their self-chosen photographs. Narrative analysis methods were used. The key aspect in student teachers’ narrative identities was their hope of becoming safe adults as teachers for their future pupils, which were greatly shaped by their memories of care and feeling safe, by being hurt emotionally, and by joy. Via this deepened understanding of the role of emotions in student teachers’ identities, teacher educators can support student teachers to prepare for the complex teachers’ work of today.