Abstract
Professional identity is a noteworthy aspect of the teachers’ professional lives. This is because it influences the manner in which they do their work, retention and productivity in their places of work. This article presents findings from a PhD study that aimed at establishing the status of pre-primary and lower primary teachers’ professional identity and exploring factors influencing it. Fredrick Herzberg’s (1950) theory of Satisfaction and Motivation was used to guide the study. The study used concurrent triangulation research design. The dependent variable was early year’s education teachers’ professional identity, while the independent variable was the type of school. The study was conducted in Kasarani Sub-County in Nairobi County, Kenya. The sample size consisted of 220 teachers and 44 head-teachers in both public and private primary schools. Questionnaires and interview schedules were used to collect data which was then analysed using qualitative and quantitative methods. Findings from the study revealed that pre-primary and lower primary teachers’ professional identity was weak. It was recommended that school management, county and national governments, and other key stakeholders should aim at addressing issues that weaken early year’s education teachers (EYET) professional identity.
Highlights
The professional identity of early year’s teachers has over the decades gained interest from educators and researchers globally
There were 145 public and private primary schools with attached pre-primary schools whose teachers were targeted for participation in the study
Findings from interviews conducted in this study indicated that early years teachers’ professional identity was weak because the society was not viewing them as teachers, not recognized by parents, job not respected by society, low professional status, no career progression in schools, considered low-class persons and taken as academic failures
Summary
The professional identity of early year’s teachers has over the decades gained interest from educators and researchers globally. In spite of the many years, it has been researched, the construct of teacher professional identity lacks a universally accepted definition (Akkerman & Meijer, 2011; Beijaard et al 2000). Beijaard, Meijer and Verloop (2004) assert that professional identity has an influence on teachers’ attitudes towards any educational change. What this means is that teachers’ identities affect their teaching practices and the manner in which they interpret policies of education and the implementation of education agendas. Ahmad, Latada, Wahab, Shah and Khan (2018) posit that teachers’ professional identity is directly linked to student learning outcomes
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