Concerns of novice teacher educators: a narrative self-study

• Published in: SN Social Sciences Vol. 4; no. 1
• Main Authors: Nguyen, Ngan T. L., Gondwe, Foster
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 18.12.2023
• Subjects: Education; Linguistics; Original Paper; Psychology; Social Sciences; Concerns; Professional development; Malawi; Novice teacher educator; Self-study
• ISSN: 2662-9283; 2662-9283
• DOI: 10.1007/s43545-023-00803-7

In the recent years, teacher education research has focused on teacher educators' experiences, identities, and professional development. However, it remains unexplored how teacher educators' concerns and professional learning influence novices’ identities during their first years of work in non-Western contexts. Therefore, this study examines concerns and professional development activities of a Malawian novice teacher educator. The study employed a self-study methodology with the help of a lifeline chart to reveal self-critical reflections. Data were analysed using KH coder software, a quantitative content analysis software that aided identification of themes and co-occurrence network of words. Findings showed that the novice teacher educator experienced concerns about subject content knowledge, forming a personal teaching approach and learners’ assessment, self-image in the student teachers’ eyes, and job security. The novice’s significant professional development activities include learning from mistakes, upgrading academic degrees, conducting research, joining an academic network and learning from colleagues of the same cohort. The paper discusses key lessons from this self-study and areas for further research while acknowledging limitations of self-study research genre. Chief among the lessons learnt is that this self-study is a professional development activity from which the authors have learnt concerns of novice teacher educators and the process of constructing a teacher educator identity.