Critical dialogues with self: developing teacher identities and roles — a case study of South African student teachers

This chapter examines the development and maintenance of teacher role and identity by means of a case study of student teachers entering the profession in Durban, South Africa. The first part of the chapter briefly explores the nature of teacher role identity with particular attention paid to contextual factors in shaping a teacherʹs professional environment. The second part presents the South African case study, focusing on the experiences of two young entrants to the profession. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the implications of research into teacher role identity for the development of policy and practice in teacher education in developing countries.