Exploring how the experiential narratives of cooperating teachers impact their role in supporting student teachers on school placement

Abstract

It is widely recognised in the international literature that cooperating teachers play a pivotal role in initial teacher education. Despite this, who cooperating teachers are, their lives, and their work continues to be an underexplored area. The paper unpacks theoretical perspectives on identity and mentoring. Guided by narrative research, semi-structured interviews with 12 cooperating teachers in Ireland are employed as the primary data collection method. Findings illustrate that cooperating teachers are conflicted between their role as teachers of children and as student teacher mentors, a resultant factor of national accountability policies in schools. The teacher educator identity appears rebuffed in favour of a dominant class teacher identity. In the absence of professional learning for the role, their mentorship of student teachers is informed solely by their apprenticeship of observation. The paper argues that the shaping influences on their identities, which include past experience and present roles and responsibilities, have a potential impact on student-teacher learning. Our paper concludes that the identity of cooperating teachers is complex and unique and needs to be meaningfully considered within initial teacher education policy and practice.