Conceptualising Teacher Vision as a Possible Framework for Transformative Teacher Professionalism

The characterisation of quality teachers differs in transformative teacher professionalism. It represents a more dynamic and proactive teaching profession. This paper reports on conceptualising teacher vision based on the related literature and recommends it as a possible framework for transformative teacher professionalism. Following the explanation of transformative teacher professionalism and teaching as a mature profession, characterisation and conceptualisation of teacher vision are addressed. Then an attempt to justify teacher vision as a possible framework for transformative teacher professionalism is done. The paper ends with a set of recommendations for the use of teacher vision in further research on teacher professionalism and teacher education.

English Language Teachers’ Vision and Motivation: Possible Selves and Activity Theory Perspectives

Recent research has identified a direct link between language teachers’ self and motivation, and their relationship with conceptual change and professional development. A better understanding of the exact manner in which language teachers’ perceptions of self interact with their motivation, however, requires further empirical evidence from a variety of contexts employing various research methods. Drawing upon possible selves theory and Activity Theory, the present mixed-methods research explored language teacher vision and its relationship with motivation in the Iranian state sector language education context. In the first qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 teachers on their vision and motivation to teach English. In the second quantitative phase, a researcher-developed questionnaire informed by the interview data was electronically administered to in-service language teachers (N = 211). Data analysis identified a typology of English language teacher vision and a positive relationship (r = .59) between vision and motivation. A coefficient determination of around 35% showed the degree of covariance between the two constructs. Furthermore, the study indicated that some contradictions among the rules, tools, community, and division-of-labour components of language teacher motivation activity system mediated the motivational force of vision. The study implies that teacher education programmes should raise English language teachers’ awareness of the positive motivational force of vision.

¿Qué creencias sostienen estudiantes de pedagogía, profesorado en servicio y personal académico formador de docentes, en Chile, sobre la pobreza?

The systematic failure of low socioeconomic levelchildren at school is a shared concern. What is the role of teachers and other involved individuals’ beliefs in maintaining this failure? This research answers the question: Are there differences in the beliefs between student teachers, in-service teachers, and Chilean teacher educators about the teaching and learning of literacy, and early math in the context of poverty? A questionnaire with two open questions and two Likert scales were applied to 265 student teachers, 66 in-service teachers and 25 teacher educators. With qualitative data, some descriptions were organized as “visions”; and with quantitative data, conglomerates and ANOVA were analyzed, based on Z scores. The results show: 1) negative view on school, children, and vulnerable families, 2) good teacher vision centered in affective-motivational features, 3) negative view on the family context shared to the whole sample, 4) over 70% had an intermediate vision on literacy beliefs and 50% on initial mathematics beliefs, 6) complex vision was the less present, 7) in-service teachers had the most stereotypical views regarding vulnerable schools, 8) only between 10% and 30% of teacher educators had complex beliefs. These results inform teacher education institutions about the beliefs and actors to whom their strategies for change should target.