Percepciones del profesorado de educación básica sobre la identidad docente en escuelas fiscales de Cuenca

Abstract

This paper is part of a research project that seeks to explore teachers' perspectives on the construction of their professional identity. Teacher identity emerges as a fundamental pillar in the task of teaching, reflecting an inescapable pedagogical, social and ethical commitment. In the city of Cuenca, a disturbing reality is observed: a high percentage of teachers in basic education were not trained in specific education careers. This situation underlines the urgent need to investigate how teacher identity is constructed in order to ensure coherence between educational discourse and practice. In this context, the main objective of the study was to understand basic education teachers' perceptions of teacher identity in their daily practice. For this purpose, a qualitative approach with a phenomenological design was adopted to capture the teachers' lived experiences. A semi-structured interview was used as a data collection instrument, involving ten basic education teachers, including one male and nine females. The findings of this research revealed that the various conceptions of teacher identity are articulated around concepts such as appropriation of teaching, innate vocation and professional positioning. The construction of this identity is deeply influenced by classroom experiences, school memories and family background. Finally, it was stressed that elements such as attitude, knowledge and values are essential to forge a strong teacher identity. However, factors such as the shortage of teaching materials, administrative bureaucracy, compliance with curricula and classroom discipline are significant obstacles to the full development of their educational work.