Being and Becoming a Teacher in Initial Literacy and Second Language Education for Adults

Abstract: The aim of the thesis is to explore what being and becoming a teacher of Literacy Education and Second Language Learning for Adults (LESLLA) mean. The study, which applies situated learning theory combined with some Bourdieuan concepts as thinking tools, seeks to depict how the professional identity of LESLLA teachers can be understood from their memberships in different communities of practice. The empirical study is based on observational data and on semi-structured interviews, which have been analysed thematically. The results show that the LESLLA teachers construct professional identity in regard to the particular nature of the learners, i.e. that the learners are simultaneously adult emergent readers and second language learners establishing themselves in a new society. This is, for example, seen in the teachers’ teaching actions and in how they respond to learning opportunities and changes. Likewise, the results illustrate that becoming a LESLLA teacher is an ongoing process in which some periods are particularly critical for learning. It takes place in a number of different communities of which the teaching practices are the most crucial. When it comes to the other communities to which the teachers belong, their significance differs from teacher to teacher. Moreover, power plays a central role in the identity formation. Societal forces, and the position and trajectory of the teacher in different communities in the landscapes of LESLLA teaching and Swedish for Immigrants (SFI) contribute to it.