Our presentation explores the relationship between student engagement and academic teacher identity, employing a cooperative inquiry approach (Heron & Reason, 2006) and drawing upon transformative learning theory (Mezirow, 1991) as an explanatory model.
The primary objective of this presentation is to describe interactions between academic identity and student engagement and the opportunities for academics' transformative learning in the context of curriculum reform.
Student engagement has garnered considerable attention in educational research and is acknowledged as a crucial determinant of academic success and personal growth (Alhadabi & Karpinski, 2020). Concurrently, academic teacher identity, a construct shaped by personal, social, and contextual factors, plays a pivotal role in effective teaching practices (Pishghadam et al., 2022; Trigwell et al.,1999). However, limited research has examined interconnections between student engagement and academic teacher identity.
These themes have been explored using the collaborative and participatory methodology of cooperative inquiry. This approach enhances the credibility and richness of our findings by incorporating multiple perspectives and facilitating a deeper understanding of the phenomenon.
Early in our investigation Mezirow's (1991) transformative learning theory emerged as a salient framework for understanding the dynamics at play in how curriculum change has affected our teaching identities and practices. This theory posits that significant shifts in cognitive structures and perspectives occur when individuals critically examine their beliefs and assumptions. Through applying this transformative learning lens, we explored our disorienting dilemmas, underlying assumptions, and experiences in the Southern Cross Model.
This presentation discusses our challenges and insights in relation to the interconnections between academic identity and approaches to encouraging student engagement, and the transformation of these in the context of curriculum reform.
Alhadabi, A., and Karpinski, A. C. (2020). Grit, self-efficacy, achievement orientation goals, and academic performance in University students. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25, 519–535. doi: 10.1080/02673843.2019.1679202
Heron, J., & Reason, P. (2006). The practice of co-operative inquiry: Research ‘with’ rather than ‘on’ people. In Reason & H. Bradbury (Eds.), Handbook of action research: Concise paperback edition (pp. 144–145). Sage Publications.
Mezirow, J. (1991). Transformative dimensions of adult learning. Jossey-Bass.
Pishghadam R, Golzar J, Miri MA. (2022). A New Conceptual Framework for Teacher Identity Development. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.876395.
Trigwell, K., Prosser, M. & Waterhouse, F. (1999). Relations between teachers' approaches to teaching and students' approaches to learning. Higher Education, 37, 57–70. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003548313194