Five Secondary Teachers’ Developing Identities as Teachers of Digital Writing

Authors

Brad Jacobson, University of Texas at El PasoFollow

Abstract

The negotiation of teacher identity has been identified as a particular challenge for literacy teachers in the context of technological change and expanding beliefs about writing. This research project uses “identity” as an analytic tool to understand five secondary teachers’ development as teachers of digital writing. Following similar research on teacher development and identity (Lee, 2013), this study examines teacher identity in relation to discourse (how teachers talk about themselves) and practice (how they perform their identities in their work), with attention to how identification is influenced by and through social and cultural factors. Findings show that these teachers’ embrace of digital writing pedagogies was intertwined with their self-identities as teachers who wanted to motivate and engage their students, but their desired identities and practices were constrained by administrative mandates and more traditional discourses about what counts as writing in their schools. I argue that helping teachers to develop resilient and reflective professional identities in the context of ongoing technological change and sociopolitical tension remains an urgent need in writing teacher education across pedagogical levels.

Recommended Citation

Jacobson, Brad (2024) "Five Secondary Teachers’ Developing Identities as Teachers of Digital Writing," Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education: Vol. 12: Iss. 1, Article 3.
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/wte/vol12/iss1/3