From Motivations to Fears: Exploration of Teachers’ Professional Identity in Yazd City

Profession and job are the important parts of a person's identity, indicating his/her position in the society. It is referred to as professional identity. The professional identity of teachers in Iran is facing serious challenges and we are indeed experiencing a crisis in their professional identity. In today's Iranian society, the teaching profession has become ordinary and inferior. Research documents demonstrate that the current situation has significantly decreased teachers' desire for productive work and professional affiliation. Lack of motivation, work scarcity, excessive fatigue, interest in leaving teaching profession, and feelings of regret for choosing this career have increased among teachers. Social and cultural elites have emphasized the critical importance of the professional identity of Iranian teachers. However, this issue has received less theoretical and empirical attention in Iran. Considering the problematic nature of professional identity and the existing research literature in this field, it is necessary to take a fresh look at this issue. Let's explore what teachers truly think about their identity and what they mean by their professional identity from their own perspectives. Additionally, let's examine the conditions and factors that are effective in the formation of teachers' professional identity. The professional identity of teachers is influenced by what processes it follows and how it is formed This research was conducted among teachers in Yazd City due to the educational structure of Yazd Province. It has consistently achieved the best position in the national entrance exam for the past 27 years, thus being affected by the issue of the national entrance exam. Based on the theoretical framework of this research, identity is formed during a social process and through social interactions. It is a dynamic matter that is constantly subject to change. In the approach of social identity, individuals do not simply consider different groups as the defining reference for their identity. Instead, they actively engage in this field and the ideas they have about their profession give rise to different thoughts and emotions, which in turn have varying effects on their performance. Since this research aimed to investigate the process and formation of teachers' approach to profession, Kathy Charmaz's constructivist approach was utilized. This approach places emphasis on diverse local worlds, multiple realities, and complexity of specific worlds, viewpoints, and actions. It also focuses on people's views, values, beliefs, feelings, assumptions, and ideology.

The current research adopted an interpretive paradigm and utilized a qualitative methodology. Among the various methods of qualitative research, the contextual theory strategy (Kathy Charmaz's structuralist approach) was employed. The sampling method used in this research was theoretical and purposeful. The target population consisted of teachers in Yazd City, who were selected from different educational levels with varying work records and fields of expertise. The sample size included 20 individuals. Data collection was conducted through semi-structured in-depth interviews with each interview lasting an average time of 120 to 180 min. The process of sample collection continued until theoretical saturation was achieved, meaning that no new information was obtained from the interviewees. Line-by-line analysis was employed to analyze the data. The coding method involved primary codes, focused codes, and theoretical codes, from which the research categories were derived. Measures were taken to ensure the research validity and reliability.

Discussion of Results & Conclusion   

The research results indicated that individual and social factors played a significant role in entering the teaching profession. The integration of subjective, mental, and social elements was crucial for a conscious and voluntary decision to become a teacher. However, the students' perceptions of working conditions and the teachers’ low status had led some individuals to feel reluctant about entering this profession, stating that they were drawn to it unwillingly. According to the theoretical model of this research, the individuals shaped their professional identity throughout their professional journey influenced by interactions with educational, political, economic, and social systems. Through their engagement with the educational system, they had come to understand that being a teacher entailed possessing knowledge, commitment, taking action, engaging in interactions, upholding ethics, and pursuing professional goals and ideals. Additionally, their experiences in schools and classrooms had contributed to the development of their attitudes towards their profession, which could be categorized as 1) fears and worries and 2) sufferings and hardship of teaching profession.  Furthermore, their interactions with various social, economic, and political systems had led them to perceive their professional identity as being economically inferior. They expressed a lack of professional authority and freedom, feeling like tools for implementing the goals and ideologies of the political system and experiencing a weak social position.Overall, based on the aforementioned conditions and contexts, the category of the decline of teachers' identity dissatisfied both objectively and subjectively had emerged. Teachers claimed that they lacked a desirable professional identity as their position and status within their professional identity were declining and they were dissatisfied with their situation. They perceived a decline in their social status and held a negative view towards the future of teaching profession. Additionally, they expressed dissatisfaction with their living conditions. Based on the research findings, several actions could be suggested to revitalize teachers' identity. These included improving teachers' living conditions, ensuring a balanced approach to development of the education and learning system by the government, reducing the pressure of external control, and providing teachers with a quality support.