Who Am I? An Examination of Multiple Identities in a Hong Kong Primary Music Teacher

Conference: The Asian Conference on Education (ACE2022)
Title: Who Am I? An Examination of Multiple Identities in a Hong Kong Primary Music Teacher
Stream: Teaching Experiences, Pedagogy, Practice & Praxis
Presentation Type: Live-Stream Presentation
Authors:
Stephanie Hoi-Ying Chan, Institute of Education, University College London, United Kingdom

Abstract:

There has been an emerging literature about identity development in music teachers around the globe. Yet, this research area remains scarce in the Hong Kong context. This study explores the complexity of how an individual develops multiple identities in the teaching profession and its interactions within the teaching and learning contexts. This study aims to understand the development of primary music teacher’s multiple identities and the subsequent impact of the learning and teaching context of Hong Kong’s school music education on the development of primary music teachers’ multiple identities. In Hong Kong, primary music teachers are either graduated with a music degree or hold a postgraduate diploma in education (PGDE) in music. Therefore, primary school music teachers in Hong Kong are often first recognised as musicians because of their musical expertise. A theoretical framework of Role-identity Theory (McCall & Simmons, 1979) and the concept of musical identity (MacDonald et al., 2002, 2017) is adopted in the study. By understanding the unique narrative of how an individual becomes a music teacher through a series of semi-structured interviews and analysed with thematic analysis, this single case study of a Hong Kong primary music teacher reveals the multiplicity of roles and identities: the composer identity, the musician identity, the music teacher identity, and the teacher identity. The development of these identities emerged not only within the current social contexts but also developed from previous musical experiences. Further research about the complexity of role conflicts and identity negotiation will be conducted.

---

Conference Comments & Feedback

Place a comment using your LinkedIn profile


Share this Presentation