To Be Resourced or to Become a Resource: Understanding Novice University Teachers’ Resource-Mediated Identity Construction
Open Access
- 26 April 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Sage Open
- Vol. 11 (2)
- https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211010721
Abstract
This article reports on a multiple-case study which aims to investigate how novice university teachers construct professional identities as they process and utilize resources to promote professional development. Data were collected from 35 novice university teachers in China through prolonged individual interviews as a major source of data, with journal entries and other written protocols as a supplement. Data analysis reveals three types of resource-mediated identities, that is, resource collectors, resource providers, and resource users. The difference between the three types of identities further shows that resource utilization can be most effectively optimized if teachers display a higher degree of autonomy deriving from their agency and proactively engage with resources to resolve specific problems in self-directed efforts. Suggestions with regard to promoting teachers’ problem awareness and improving organizational management are discussed.Keywords
Funding Information
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (N/A)
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