From fragmented toward relational academic teacher identity: the role of research-teaching nexus

Abstract

Academics have multiple identities, and their professional identities can sometimes be fragmented. This can lead to identity tensions and hinder their development as teachers. Our data consists of interviews with seven academics at a research-intensive university and the teaching portfolios created during their teaching practicums. All academics participated in 2 years of pedagogical studies, wherein teaching practicums played a central role. Their teacher identities developed significantly during the pedagogical studies. We examined the narratives two academics—Matti and Kari—that chronicled their development as teachers. Initially, Matti and Kari presented bias towards the pedagogical training. We found that the key features of their teaching practicums, such as a developmental project and reflexivity, facilitated the development of more holistic, relational identities. Our findings challenge some dominant views about academics’ teacher identity development and argue for the need to redefine academics’ teacher identity by taking into account the relational nature of the concept and the role of the research-teaching nexus. The study has an important implication for policy; for supporting holistic teacher-researcher development, developmental projects should be implemented as a vital part of pedagogical training.