Teaching identity moulded by social media
Social media plays a large role in shaping students’ teaching identities.
This was one of the unexpected findings in the research conducted by New Zealand Tertiary College (NZTC) Postgraduate Program Leader Sean Dolan who is studying towards his PhD.
He has undertaken a longitudinal study into student-teacher identity following the journey of six international students as they completed an NZTC Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Early Childhood Education).
“All student teachers will experience the same academic courses and the same practical experience, in terms of Field Practice, but all of them come out quite differently. My research explores the effect that training has on the teacher at the end of it all,” said Dolan.
A Chinese social media messaging platform called WeChat, as well as Facebook groups, helped students in the study adapt to life in New Zealand as well as adapt to a different philosophy and methodology of delivering early childhood education.
“Adjusting from countries that have quite traditional pedagogies where the focus is on a teacher-led classroom environment to early childhood which is more child orientated and follows the child’s interest is a huge conceptual leap for the student and we need to recognise that this takes time and requires a lot of support.”
Belle Bi, 39, is from Beijing, China and is one of the students who participated in Dolan’s study.
She says NZTC supported her to learn different concepts such as critical thinking which helped her evaluate her previous experience within early childhood education in China and cherry pick parts that she liked, moulding it into concepts she has learnt in New Zealand, such as the play-based model, to form her own philosophy.
She took an informal leadership role on social media and within NZTC tutorials, discussion forums and Block Courses to help younger students who were struggling to adapt to concepts as well as life in New Zealand.
“In most Asian countries, the younger ones look up to the older ones who have experience. I have experience and I want to help the younger ones learn,” said Bi.
The early childhood education groups on WeChat discuss concepts relating to the sector but also information and advice about life in New Zealand.
Advice on where to live, transport, and where to buy Chinese vegetables are subjects discussed as well as biculturalism and giving each other ideas on activities that they could undertake with the children in their centres.
After completing her graduate diploma, Bi was employed by her Home Centre, Three Kings Kindercare Learning Centre in Auckland, New Zealand.
Although she has finished studying, she is still active on WeChat and attends meet-ups on subjects such as te reo Māori to continue her learning journey.
Dolan says one of the key findings of his research was how proactive students were at finding their own support networks when they arrived in New Zealand using WeChat and Facebook as ways to connect.
NZTC discussion forums, Block Courses, tutorials, strong relationships with their Associate Teachers and a connection between the theory taught at NZTC and the practice they experienced during Field Practice were also instrumental in shaping teacher identity.
Dolan is now in his sixth year of studying towards his PhD part-time and will submit his research in February. He will be publishing articles on his findings in the NZTC research journal He Kupu in the coming months.