Looking back with pride-looking forward in hope: The narratives of a transformative teacher

Abstract

In this narrative inquiry, I explored the professional identity of a transformative language teacher within the Turkish public school context. More specifically, I aimed to present the life story of a teacher who endeavored to contribute to her community by touching upon multiple social-environmental problems. Since achieving transformational goals in teaching is an arduous journey, the account of an accomplished teacher deserves to be recognized. Therefore, I conducted three interviews with the participant by collecting her lived experiences from the very early student life to her current teaching and school life practices. The inductively analyzed interview findings displayed that having a similar background with students, carrying leadership qualities and living a self-transformational experience enhanced her transformative efforts. Having a strong sense of work ethics and believing in the vital importance of dialogue facilitated the improvement of this transformative teacher’s school life. The study revealed that being transformative is multi-dimensional, emotion-laden, and socially rooted. © 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.