What Prevents Teacher Educators from Accessing Professional Development OER? Storytelling and Professional Identity in Ugandan Teacher Colleges.

Abstract

Tutors working in colleges of education in sub-Saharan Africa are responsible for teaching, and inspiring hundreds of thousands of aspiring teachers, yet they have received little attention in the literature, often being depicted as a conservative cohort of professionals, unprepared for their role, yet resistant to change. This study reports on how 39 tutors from 8 colleges in Uganda see their professional role and their responsibilities. The research adopted a storytelling approach. Tutors were supported in developing a (true) story about their work that they felt would give previously untold insight into their profession. The stories were analysed through a professional identity lens. The group emerge as agentive and caring, committed to developing as teacher educators, but with a highly individual approach to their work. The nuanced understanding of tutor professional identity provided, facilitates insights into why professional development OER aimed at this group did not have the intended impact.

Keywords

• Professional identity
• OER
• Storytelling methodology