Diverse placement experiences and professional identity development. Perceptions of trainee teachers based within the post-compulsory sector

Amanda Turner and Anastasija Jumatova

Abstract

This article explores the experiences of trainee teachers on placement which forms their professional identity. This article focusses on trainee teachers based in the Further Education (FE) and Skills sector, in England.

By conducting a qualitative study using one to one interviews and using the reflections of trainee teachers after placement it was possible to explore the diversity of experiences and evaluate the impact their placement had on their identity as a teacher.  The latest Ofsted (2019) guidelines clearly outline the judgements made about the quality of the placement setting in terms of how well the trainee is prepared for employment in their chosen sector. There is a concern that all sectors are judged against the same criteria, despite significant differences between them.

This research set out to determine if one placement within the FE and Skills sector provides sufficient access to diversity of experience, or whether an additional placement should be made a compulsory part of the programme. The research findings exposed a number of similarities in the way that diversity had positively impacted on teacher identity development, despite the participants being placed within very different settings. The authors discovered a clear link between diversity within the placement experience and the development of teacher identity. This article presents the argument for rich diverse placement experiences as a way not only to satisfy Ofsted, but to enable trainee teachers to meet professional teaching standards (ETF, 2014) and be prepared for future employment in this varied sector.

Turner, A. and Jumatova, A. (2020) Diverse placement experiences and professional identity development. Perceptions of trainee teachers based within the post-compulsory sector. Educationalfutures, [online] Vol. 11(2). Available at: https://educationstudies.org.uk/?p=12896 [Accessed 23 Apr, 2024].