‘We teach who we are’: Male Primary School Teacher Candidates’ Views of Being the Teacher

Abstract

This paper reports on part of a larger study that sought to uncover and explore the interpretations about being a teacher, and teaching, that male primary pre-service teachers brought with them to their initial teacher education programme. The results indicated that it was the primary school teachers from their own schooling who informed how they saw themselves in the role of teacher. Specifically, it was the primary teachers from their own schooling, who had demonstrated the characteristics seen as ideal models of positive teaching practice, who influenced their ‘self as teacher’ role identity the most. Implications from this study point towards the vital role that reflections on one’s own prior schooling experiences play in how teacher candidates see themselves in the role as the teacher.