Merging Identities: Role Conflict and Role Enrichment for Educator- Parents during the Covid-19 Pandemic

This practitioner-based article examines the ways in which educator-parent identity has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Taking the findings from Shifting Identities: A Mixed Methods Study of the Experiences of Teachers Who Are Also Parents (2016), and viewing them from the perspective of ‘lockdown’, the article aims to provide responses to the following questions: 1) What are the features of role enrichment and role conflict experienced by UK educators and parents between March and May 2020? 2) What opportunities and fresh perspectives arise from these experiences which could inform future practice and developments for educators and researchers? The article lays out the unique nature of the current context before going on to outline the research methodology and philosophical assumptions underlying the work. It then goes on to establish some key principles before examining the elements of role conflict and role enrichment experienced by educator parents. The article concludes that may of the core values and principles, as well as the practical ways forward, are more vital than ever and provides some practical suggestions for how educator-parents might feel better equipped to manage their merging roles.