The importance of reflective journaling as a research tool used to analyse the professional identity of pre service technology teachers

The advancement of a tertiary student’s professional identity as a technology teacher is essential to grasping Technology education concepts and framing future Technology education research.The aim of this research is to examine the professional identity transition that occurs for students’ over the course of a technology teacher education pre-service program and to determine the factors that contribute to a successful transition. It will examine the student’s initial identity as a trade worker, trace their identity, knowledge, skill, values and attitudes developed during their first course in a Technology Teacher pre service university program. This study is a part of a larger study. This study uses online journaling during their first technology foundation course, as a way to examine the professional identity change of Technology students moving from a technical/trade worker to a Technology teacher. The journaling is time-lined against specific pedagogies in order to gain insight into the impact on the Technology teachers developing professional identity. Analysis is carried out using the Most Significant Change technique (MSC) (Davies & Dart, 2005). MSC is a technique for monitoring and evaluating change. This study suggests that a student’s tertiary education should be focused on them developing their identity as a professional Technology teacher. A technology teacher’s understanding of the nature of technology heavily influences their professional identity, their perceptions of technology education and consequently shapes their teaching practice. The influences on the development of this identity, both positively and negatively, will direct pedagogues used in their teaching preparation and will also direct future research in Technology education.