Narratives Shaping Teachers’ Professional Identity and Influencing Career Development

Abstract

This article seeks to distinguish between teachers' academic studies which they chose of their own volition, and professional training throughout their career that is imposed on them as part of their role as educators, in the framework of their professional development. This is a qualitative-narrative study, whose data were collected through the life stories of two educators, one is currently serving as the principal of a junior high school, and the other serves as a vice principal of a junior high school and is also preparing to be the principal of a school. The data were analyzed by means of content analysis, which yielded themes that were combined into three chapters: Chapter one: The seeds sown in the parents' home towards professional life, Chapter two: The choice of the professional life track, and Chapter three: Professional development towards career advancement. The findings show that this distinction points to the formation of teachers' professional identity: The free choice in academic study tracks contributes greatly to the formation of their professional identity, while continuing their training as teachers in the afternoon after a long school day, does not contribute to the formation of their professional identity. Some see these studies as an inconvenience and its main value for them is financial. The findings of this study reprise the question of the connection between teachers’ training throughout their careers as formulating the perception of their professional identity.