Exploration of Teacher Identity in the Context of Current School Reforms in Kazakhstan: perceptions of NIS teachers

Abstract

Kazakhstan is presently experiencing significant reforms in secondary education trying on best practices and experiences borrowed from abroad. Important figures at this stage are Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools (NIS) created to implement new approaches to teaching, learning and managing the school. They serve as a platform for altering the whole system and bringing Kazakhstan to a new higher level of development. In this context, teachers are exposed to dramatic changes in requirements for being a competent professional, which implies they need to revisit their personal and professional views and practices to meet new standards. The problem is that the major focus is given to the reforms themselves while the voices of those who actually enact them in practice are usually ignored. This study aimed at exploring the complex phenomenon of teacher identity in its relation to the present school reforms from the perspective of the main stakeholders, teachers. The qualitative interview-based approach was employed in this study to reveal how different aspects of the reforms influence teacher professionalism. The purposeful sampling method was used to select ten NIS teachers according to the following criteria: age, years of experience and area of specialization. The rationale for maximal variation sampling was to identify if the perceptions of participants differ across the given categories. The findings of the study provided an insight on NIS teachers’ perceptions of their professional identity on four dimensions: personal, social, professional and emotional. The results also showed how teaching-related and administrative aspects of school reforms affect various constructs of teacher identity. The study concluded by suggesting some recommendations for policy makers and school administration on how to enhance the process of improving the school system considering teachers’ opinions.