Becoming a disabled teacher: teacher placements as sites for identity formation

Abstract

Teacher placements are crucial learning opportunities due to their ontological function: in placements, students not only learn but also gather experiences of being a teacher. While earlier research has portrayed placements as venues for professional identity formation, this study examines how historically marginalised students become known as (dis)abled teacher subjects in placements. This study examines the identity narratives of five disabled pre-service teachers in Australia through longitudinal interview material and a poststructural, Foucault-inspired analysis of subject formation. Our findings showcase how, in placements, students become known as future professionals in relation to particular ‘able’ ideals of teachers as someone spatially fit and rational. In placements, students must take part in complex identity work that teacher education rarely acknowledges or provides dedicated support for. Our findings illustrate the unique knowledge and skills that pre-service teachers with disabilities bring to the profession, but also the profound barriers that those students must face who cannot fit the ‘norm’ of teacher education.