Reconfiguring self to stave off loss: A constructivist grounded theory of the experiences, perspectives, and outcomes of entrants aged 30+ to initial teacher education programmes in Ireland

This dissertation addresses diversity in the Irish teaching profession, through an examination of the experiences of teachers who entered initial teacher education (ITE) in Ireland aged 30+. The research explored the reasons behind their choice of teaching, their expectations of ITE, whether their expectations were met or otherwise, their perspectives on teaching as a career, and subsequent outcomes. The study is timely and relevant from a number of perspectives. It fills a gap in our knowledge and understanding of this population of teachers, since later entrants to the profession have attracted little research attention to date in Ireland. What research has been carried out has examined discrete aspects of older students’ experiences, including learning approaches, motivation for changing career to teaching, and attrition from the profession. The current study is therefore more wide-ranging in its focus. The research is especially significant in the context of diversifying the teaching profession, widening participation efforts, and increasing shortages in the teaching force in Ireland. International research suggests that later entrants are highly motivated and have given careful thought to the decision to embark on a teacher education programme. As well as bringing a high level of commitment to the profession, research internationally demonstrates that later entrants come with wide-ranging skills and expertise, while life experience has endowed them with valuable personal attributes. The study employed Constructivist Grounded Theory as its methodology: in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 30 participants provided data which led to the construction of a substantive theory, ‘reconfiguring self to stave off loss’. The theory furnishes a theoretical interpretation of participants’ experiences, perspectives, and outcomes, and integrates three sub-categories: ‘deciding to change direction’; ‘putting life on hold’; and ‘following the road not taken’. The categories are sequentially and conceptually linked in a three-stage process: Deciding to change direction Putting life on hold Following the road not taken The study found that participants’ decision to embark on a career in teaching was multifaceted, and in many cases seemingly inevitable. Participants put enormous effort into attaining the goal of a teaching qualification: several juggled gruelling schedules in order to comply with course requirements. For the majority of participants, the decision to join the teaching profession has been extremely positive, with many describing its ‘rejuvenating’ effects.

Publisher

University of Galway

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CC BY-NC-ND

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University of Galway Theses (PhD Theses)