From self-reflection to professional transformation: an autoethnographic intervention in teacher education

Abstract

The role of teacher educators is inherently complex, requiring a deep understanding of pedagogy and reflective practice, particularly when navigating cultural and linguistic differences. This study addresses a notable gap in the literature concerning the professional development of non-Western educators teaching in Western contexts. It introduces the concept of an autoethnographic intervention, developed through four years of teaching experience in Australia, to explore how structured self-reflection can support pedagogical transformation. The study adopts a qualitative autoethnographic approach, combining reflective practice and narrative inquiry to systematically examine how personal experience, cultural positioning, and classroom interactions shape teaching. Rather than assessing student outcomes directly, interpretations were developed through recursive analysis of teaching diaries, reflective tools, classroom interactions, and student feedback as naturally occurring artefacts of practice. The approach challenged prior assumptions and prompted a critical re-evaluation of teaching strategies, informing shifts in pedagogical understanding and practice. The findings contribute to discussions of teacher professional learning by offering autoethnographic intervention as a practice-oriented mode of inquiry through which teacher educators can critically examine positionality, engage with feedback, and reshape practice in response to context-specific challenges.