The effects of educational changes on the professional identities of information and communication technologies teachers

Abstract

This study aimed to examine professional identity of ICT teachers following educational changes in ICT education and technology integration, introduced by Ministry of National Education (MoNE) in Turkey. Professional identity was investigated under the factors of commitment, self-image, knowledge and skills, value, thoughts and beliefs, future perspective, task perception, job motivation, job satisfaction, self-esteem, and self-efficacy. This study used a qualitative, content analysis method. Data collection included a total of 302617 online messages posted on the online forum between 2005 and 2015, and the circular notes, instructions, regulations and official correspondence of the institutions between the years of 1995 and 2015 in order to identify the decisions taken by MoNE. The data from the online forum and official documents were analyzed using the content analysis. The results show that the professional identities of ICT teachers were negatively affected in the process of changes that lasted for 11 years. Excessive workload and roles and responsibilities unrelated to the profession negatively affected ICT teachers in teachers’ task perceptions, motivation, self-image, commitment, and future perspective. Professional identity was also negatively affected by changes in the decisions related to ICT course and increasing responsibilities stemming from the projects introduced by MoNE.