Novice teachers’ identity exploration in their relations with parents in an era of social networking sites: A case study in China

Abstract

By drawing on a case study of three Chinese novice teachers, this article illustrates that social networking technologies create opportunities for teachers to establish links with parents, allowing direct and prolonged interaction. This has constructed an arena for novice teachers to venture into and navigate through with continual negotiation between their selves and the parents. This process may involve the enactment of particular notions of the professional role, such as messenger, problem-solver and community liaison. These notions reflect different understandings of and responsibilities to students and parents, and differing perspectives on and usage of SNS tools. This study sheds new light on the complexity of novice teachers’ identity formation in the context of a social life that is deeply entwined with social networking technologies. It also speaks to the need to prepare pre-service teachers for establishing and sustaining a relationship with parents, taking into account the mediating role of social networking sites.