Becoming a safe adult for pupils: emotions as part of first-year student teachers’ narrative identities told with photographs

2023/05/15 by Anniina Kettunen, Erkki T. Lassila, Sonja Lutovac +1
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Art Education and Development #Participatory Visual Research Methods #Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/02619768.2023.2211730

openalex publication_date 2023/05/15 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

This article focuses on first-year student teachers’ emotions as part of their narrative identities. Alongside narrative research, arts-based methods were employed. The research material consists of 36 Finnish student teachers’ autobiographical writings based on their self-chosen photographs. Narrative analysis methods were used. The key aspect in student teachers’ narrative identities was their hope of becoming safe adults as teachers for their future pupils, which were greatly shaped by their memories of care and feeling safe, by being hurt emotionally, and by joy. Via this deepened understanding of the role of emotions in student teachers’ identities, teacher educators can support student teachers to prepare for the complex teachers’ work of today.

Citations

• The role of emotions in student teachers’ professional identity
• Beginning student teachers’ teacher identities based on their practical theories
• Reconsidering research on teachers’ professional identity
• Why become a teacher? Student teachers’ perceptions of the teaching profession and motives for career choice
• Vulnerability as an Emotional Dimension in Student Teachers’ Narrative Identities Told With Self-Portraits
• Possible selves.