Teachers’ Identity Tensions and Related Coping Strategies : Interaction With the Career Stages and Socio-Political Context

This is a sel -a chi ed e sion o an o iginal a icle. This e sion may di e om he o iginal in pagina ion and ypog aphic de ails. Au ho (s): Ti le: Yea : Ve sion: Copy igh : Righ s: Righ s u l: Please ci e he o iginal e sion: CC BY 4.0 h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/ Teache s’ Iden i y Tensions and Rela ed Coping S a egies : In e ac ion Wi h he Ca ee S ages and Socio-Poli ical Con ex © 2022 he au ho s. Published e sion Lau, Josephine; Vähäsan anen, Ka ja; Collin, Kaija Lau, J., Vähäsan anen, K., & Collin, K. (2022). Teache s’ Iden i y Tensions and Rela ed Coping S a egies : In e ac ion Wi h he Ca ee S ages and Socio-Poli ical Con ex . P o essions and p o essionalism, 12(2), A icle e4562. h ps://doi.o g/10.7577/pp.4562 2022 ISSN: 1893-1049 Volume 12, No 3 (2022), e4562 h ps://doi.o g/10.7577/pp.4562 © 2022 he au ho s. License: h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/ (CC-BY 4.0) www.p o essionsandp o essionalism.com 1 Teache s’ Iden i y Tensions and Rela ed Coping S a egies: In e ac ion Wi h he Ca ee S ages and Socio-Poli ical Con ex Josephine Lau1, Ka ja Vähäsan anen1,2, & Kaija Collin1 1. Depa men o Educa ion, Uni e si y o Jy äskylä, Finland. 2. Finnish Ins i u e o Educa ional Resea ch, Uni e si y o Jy äskylä, Finland Con ac : Josephine Lau, Uni e si y o Jy äskylä, Finland. piw[email p o ec ed] Abs ac When ex e nal equi emen s con lic wi h eache s’ pe sonal belie s and alues, he esul ing in e nal s uggles can lead o iden i y ensions. Con ibu ing o discussion on eache s’ iden i y de elopmen in a challenging con ex , his s udy in es iga ed eache iden i y ensions and ela ed coping s a egies in Hong Kong. We conduc ed 21 semi-s uc u ed in e iews wi h quali ied eache s and hen pe o med a deduc i e hema ic analysis o he da a. We ca ego ised he iden i y ensions as posi ioned on he mic o o mac o le el, and dis inguished he coping s a egies as emo ion- ocused o p oblem- ocused beha iou s. The iden i y ensions and ela ed coping s a egies seemed o be associa ed wi h eache s’ ca ee s ages. We u he ound iden i y ensions o be ela ed o he school’s sociocul u al en i onmen and o he speci ic poli ical and socie al o ces in he egion. The s udy demons a ed he need o con inuous and di e en ia ed suppo ca e ing o eache s’ needs, and highligh ed he speci ic social-poli ical in luences on p o essional iden i y de elopmen . Teache s’ Iden i y Tensions and Rela ed Coping S a egies 2 Keywo ds Ca ee s ages, coping s a egies, Hong Kong, p o essional iden i y ensions, socio-poli ical con ex , eache p o essional de elopmen In oduc ion Teache s’ p o essional li es a e cha ac e ised by con inuous educa ional and socie al changes. Despi e aining oppo uni ies, including p ac ices o acili a e ans o ma ions and inno a ions, eache s ace mul iple challenges in hei wo k wi hin schools and om socie y. When eache s’ pe sonal belie s and alues con lic wi h he demands o hei p o ession o wi h ex e nal changes, in e nal s uggles may lead o iden i y ensions (Beijaa d e al., 2004). Disc epancies be ween pe sonal and p o essional elemen s can u he ha e nega i e e ec s on eache s’ lea ning, job sa is ac ion, ca ee endea ou s, and may lead o esigna ion om he p o ession (e.g. Skaal ik & Skaal ik, 2017). P e ious s udies ha e poin ed ou he p o essional iden i y ensions o beginning eache s (Pillen e al., 2013) and di e en iden i y issues o expe ienced eache s ( an de Wan e al., 2018). To acili a e con inuous eache s’ p o essional de elopmen , iden i y ensions should be in es iga ed in ela ion o he di e en s ages in p o essional li e and o he con ex , which comp ises he school communi y (a he mic o le el), along wi h he socie al expec a ions and op-down educa ional policies (a he mac o le el). This in e iew s udy aimed o in es iga e he iden i y ensions and he coping s a egies o eache s a di e en ca ee s ages in he Hong Kong con ex . The con ex se es as a signi ican case o in es iga ing mic o- and mac o-le el eache iden i y ensions, bea ing in mind ha he egion is eage o main ain a compe i i e edge and o nu u e alen s o u u e de elopmen . 1 The s udy was designed o con ibu e o a holis ic and dynamic unde s anding o eache -iden i y ensions a di e en si es wi hin p o essional li e, and o assis policymake s, adminis a o s, and esea che s in e lec ing on app op ia e suppo as p o essionals like eache s p og ess on hei ca ee pa h beyond ini ial p o essional aining. Li e a u e e iew Teache iden i y de elopmen a di e en ca ee s ages, iden i y ensions, and he ela ed coping s a egies Teache iden i y encompasses he adi ional p o essional asse s o eache s in he school con ex , including eaching alues and belie s, subjec knowledge, and o he ela ed compe encies (e.g. Beijaa d e al., 2004; Vähäsan anen e al., 2017). A he same ime, pe sonal a ia ions in i s mo i a ional and a ec i e aspec s, such as e icacy and emo ions, a e signi ican componen s in i s cons uc ion and p ese a ion (Kelch e mans, 2009). 1 “Nu u ing Talen s” has been he main heme o Chie Execu i e’s Policy Add ess since 2017, excep in 2019, when he An i-ex adi ion Law Amendmen Bill Mo emen b oke ou . Teache s’ Iden i y Tensions and Rela ed Coping S a egies 3 Teache iden i y is no ega ded as an inbo n phenomenon; no is i a s a ic en i y esiding wi hin he indi idual and sepa a ed om he en i onmen . Ra he , i is de eloped h ough a somewha luid, luc ua ing, and subjec i e p ocess (e.g. Akke man & Meije , 2011), and i is con inuously nego ia ed wi h o he ac o s and con ex ual ac o s wi hin one’s ca ee ajec o y. As eache iden i y is an ongoing de elopmen al p ocess o he p o essional sel in ela ion o he di e en domains wi hin school and socie y, i is impo an o analyse iden i y on di e en p o essional li e phases o eache s’ ajec o y i one is o p o ide con inuous di e en ia ed suppo acco ding o needs. The e has been conside able esea ch on he phases o eache p o essional de elopmen (e.g. Hube man, 1993), and he ca ee s ages co e ed by he s udies di e in numbe and de ini ions (e.g. Day, 2012; G aham e al., 2020). Rega ding he ope a ional de ini ion o ca ee s age in he p esen s udy, 0-7 and 8- 15 yea s o expe ience a e ca ego ised as ea ly and middle p o essional li e phases espec i ely (Day, 2012). The ea ly ca ee li e phase is u he dis inguished in o he beginning s age (0-3 yea s) and he ansi ional s age (4-7 yea s), while 8 o mo e yea s is conside ed as he expe ienced s age. The a ionale o such dis inc ion is based on he wide acknowledgemen o he i s h ee yea s as he ea ly ca ee su i al and disco e y s age (e.g. Hube man, 1993), and also on he mo e s abilised ca ee decisions in beginning eache s a e he ini ial 3 yea s (G aham e al., 2020). Iden i y ensions can eme ge in he iden i y nego ia ion p ocess, when eaching belie s, alues, o ideals in he pe sonal dimension con lic wi h he equi emen s o expec a ions om he wo kplace, along wi h he sociocul u al policy in school and socie y espec i ely (Beijaa d e al., 2004; Day, 2012). Wi hin he class oom, eaching is “emo ional wo k” ha equi es whole-pe son in ol emen . Teache s mus in es hei au hen ic sel es in unde s anding and ca ing o s uden s’ lea ning and g ow h (Day, 2018). A he school communi y and o ganisa ional le el, eache s mus engage in mic opoli ical nego ia ions wi h hei colleagues ela ed o ac ions, s a egies, and p ac ices, and do so wi hin he condi ions o hei wo k en i onmen (Kelch e mans & Balle , 2002). Conce ning he b oade social and poli ical dimensions, o ces eme ging om socie al discou se and educa ional policies in e ac wi h bo h eache s’ in e nal psychic disposi ion, and hei immedia e school con ex (Zembylas & Chubuck, 2018). Acco ding o he s udy o Pillen and colleagues (2013), beginning eache s in he Ne he lands expe ienced a ious iden i y ensions wi h he change o ole in o a ully esponsible eache . These in ol ed (desi ed o ac ual) suppo o s uden s, along wi h con lic ing eaching and lea ning concep ions wi h colleagues and men o s. All hese could nega i ely impac he beginning eache s’ p o essional de elopmen and well-being, wi h some o he issues om an ea ly s age pe sis ing h oughou he indi idual’s ca ee ( an de Wan e al., 2018). When eache s ace iden i y ensions, hey mus he e o e acqui e app op ia e coping s a egies. The mos common coping s a egy used by beginning eache s is o speak wi h Teache s’ Iden i y Tensions and Rela ed Coping S a egies 4 signi ican o he s, while some sea ch o solu ions when eeling incompe en , o else hey simply accep he s a us o no ices (Pillen e al., 2013). I appea s ha expe ienced eache s, oo, may be unwilling o alk abou hese ensions, and ha hey me ely pu up wi h he si ua ions ( an de Wan al., 2018). A s udy on English as a o eign language eache s (Raha jo & Iswand i, 2019) dis inguished he s a egies o dealing wi h eache ensions acco ding o whe he he coping beha iou s we e emo ion- ocused o p oblem- ocused. When ex e nal condi ions a e deemed unchangeable, one is mo e likely o adop emo ion- ocused s a egies, such as a oidance o dis ancing. In con as , p oblem- ocused coping beha iou s a e ela ed o one’s agency enac men in he si ua ed con ex , wi h he possibili y o ac ions o sol e he ensions using he esou ces a ailable. Theo e ical amewo k Teache iden i y ension in di e en con ex ual domains Mul iple ac o s in he ex e nal en i onmen in luence he de elopmen o he pe sonal and con ex ual elemen s in eache iden i y, and he balance be ween hem (Beijaa d e al., 2004; Ye & Zhao, 2019). A mic o- and mac o-le el con ex ual amewo k can seek o cap u e he complexi ies o eache iden i y ensions in he di e en domains wi hin he con ex . The amewo k applied he e was planned o iden i y he ensions eme ging be ween, on he mic o le el, eache s’ pe o mance o hei iden i y oles in class oom in e ac ions, collegial ela ionships, and he school cul u e (Kayi-Ayda , 2015); and on he mac o le el, o ces om he b oade social and poli ical dimensions, including socie al discou se and poli ical agendas (Zembylas & Chubuck, 2018). Fu he explana ion o he a ious ac o s ope a ing a he mic o and mac o le els in he eache -si ua ed con ex is p esen ed below. Mic o le el: P o essional and social dimensions in he class oom and in he immedia e wo k condi ions The mic o le el in ol es eache s’ immedia e wo king condi ions engaging he p o essional and social dimensions. Teache s’ e e yday wo k consis s o class oom in e ac ions, coope a ion wi h colleagues and school leade s, and communica ion wi h pa en s o wi h o he p o essionals. As ega ds he class oom con ex and s uden ela ionships, eache s o en encoun e con lic s be ween he amoun o suppo hey desi e o gi e s uden s and he ac ual suppo hey can gi e. This causes hem o s a o main ain an emo ional dis ance and o adjus expec a ions o s uden s’ academic pe o mance om an ea ly s age in hei ca ee (Pillen e al., 2013; an de Wal e al., 2019). In addi ion, oday’s school en i onmen equi es cons an collegial collabo a ion and ac i e in ol emen in he eaching communi y. The e a e p essu es o enhance eaching quali y and implemen changes, and a ious con lic s may a ise among colleagues o e eaching concep ions o he ways in which a ious asks should be handled (Schaap e al., 2019). A he school managemen le el, con lic ing expec a ions be ween school leade s and eache s, changing p io i ies in ins uc ional p ac ices o adminis a ion policies, and a pe o mance-d i en Teache s’ Iden i y Tensions and Rela ed Coping S a egies 5 school cul u e can lead o clashes wi h eache s’ in e nal belie s and alues. Ou side he immedia e eaching en i onmen , eache s a e inc easingly engaged in communica ion bound up wi h ac o s such as home—school collabo a ion and enhanced echnology. In line wi h his, an de Wan and colleagues (2018) also ound eache -pa en in e ac ions o be a p ominen iden i y ension issue o expe ienced eache s in he Ne he lands. Mac o le el: Socie al and poli ical dimensions o he speci ic egion The mac o le el encompasses he o ces o au ho i y, laws, ules, and adi ions, plus he p inciples, igh s, and esponsibili ies ela ed o he eache ’s posi ion. I comp ises ac o s in he socie al and poli ical dimension, including he implici expec a ions, no ms, and alues assigned o eache s’ oles. I also includes educa ion policies and u he , he ins i u ional ules and egula ions o he socie y in ques ion. The socie al image o eache s a ies ac oss cul u es and egions, as does also hei s a us. Fo ins ance, eache s a e execu o s o s a e educa ion policy in China (Ye & Zhao, 2019), while Finnish socie y has adi ionally held he p o essional s a us o eache s in high ega d (Sahlbe g, 2014). In ecen yea s, he demands o he “neolibe al cascade” (Connell, 2013) and o he “Fou h Indus ial Re olu ion” in espec o echnological know-how ha e induced he au ho i ies o impose many educa ional changes and policies. These ha e been ound o lead o o e whelming bu meaningless wo kloads o eache s, wi h possibili ies o ha m o school mo ale (Da ies & Da ies, 2013). Mo eo e , when ideologically-o ien ed egimes o au ho i a ian con ex s possess he powe o pene a e h ough o on line ac o s, a “poli ics o use” pe spec i e can impel eache s o become la ge poli ical agen s o cen al missions, and may o e ide ins i u ional and o ganisa ional s uc u es (Schul e, 2018). Resea ch ques ions To iden i y eache iden i y ensions and ela ed coping s a egies, his s udy was guided by he ollowing esea ch ques ions: (1) Wha a e he iden i y ensions pe cei ed by quali ied eache s a di e en ca ee s ages in he social-poli ical con ex o Hong Kong? (2) Wha kinds o s a egies do eache s a di e en ca ee s ages adop o cope wi h hese iden i y ensions? Me hods The esea ch con ex : Teache s’ wo king condi ions in Hong Kong The s udy pa icipan s we e quali ied eache s in Hong Kong who wo ked a he p ima y o seconda y le el and augh a ious subjec s. Hong Kong was a o me B i ish colony un il i s so e eign y was handed o e o China in 1997. A se ies o educa ion e o ms we e launched in he ea ly 1990s, co e ing he poli ical ansi ion pe iod. These we e also seen as a esponse o globalisa ion, and hey emphasised excellence, compe i ion, and accoun abili y. Teache s’ Iden i y Tensions and Rela ed Coping S a egies 6 The cen alised-decen alisa ion app oach in educa ion go e nance posi ioned he go e nmen as he cen e o e o ms and changes, while schools we e designa ed wi h manage ial powe o be he agen o policy implemen a ion (Ng & Chan, 2008). The managemen and s a s uc u e wi hin schools we e hie a chical. Teache s a e anked acco ding o quali ica ions and yea s o expe ience, while he decision-making powe o en es s wi h he uppe managemen and p incipals (Ko e al., 2016). In addi ion o inc easing ins i u ional demands leading o ex emely long wo king hou s, he changing poli ical and socie al sphe e in Hong Kong has also in luenced eache s’ wo k (Tsang, 2018). Ci ic socie y has i sel become a s onge o ce a ec ing educa ional issues, as demons a ed in he 2012 p o es ing he in oduc ion o “Mo al and Na ional Educa ion” 2 . Pa icipan s In o al, 21 eache s ep esen ing di e en schools, subjec s and eaching expe iences ag eed o pa icipa e in semi-s uc u ed in e iews o his s udy. The eache s we e in i ed ia email using he esea che s’ pe sonal and p o essional con ac s. Be o e he s udy began, we e bally in o med he eache s abou hei igh s as esea ch pa icipan s and ob ained hei w i en consen . The eache s we e wo king in di e en p i a ely o publicly unded schools in Hong Kong. Table 1 illus a es he wo k p o ile o he pa icipan s. Pseudonyms a e used o ensu e p i acy. The a e age age was 32 yea s. The gende a io o he pa icipan s closely e lec ed ha o eache s in Hong Kong, whe e emale eache s comp ise 76% and 56% in he p ima y and seconda y educa ion espec i ely (The Wo ld Bank, 2022). They also augh di e en subjec s and we e in ol ed in a ious adminis a i e du ies. 2 As pa o he na ion-building assemblage a e 1997, he Educa ion Bu eau announced he in oduc ion o “Mo al and Na ional Educa ion” (MNE) as a compulso y subjec in 2010. Ye , he issue emained con o e sial. This esul ed in nume ous public p o es s and 24 ci ic g oups opposing he subjec , which led o he subjec ’s wi hd awal in 2012. Teache s’ Iden i y Tensions and Rela ed Coping S a egies 7 Table 1. Backg ound p o iles o pa icipan s Pa icipan s Gende Yea s o Expe ience Ca ee S age School Le el Employmen Te m Subjec (s) Taugh 1 Do ha F 9 Expe ienced Seconda y Regula English 2 Go don M 4 T ansi ional Seconda y Regula Ma hema ics 3 Peony F 1 Beginning P ima y Tempo a y English & F ench 4 Felix M 7 T ansi ional Seconda y Regula Ma hema ics 5 Camelia F 10 Expe ienced P ima y and Seconda y Regula Ma hema ics, In eg a ed Science & English 6 Louis M 8 Expe ienced Seconda y Regula Libe al S udies 7 Howa d M 8 Expe ienced Seconda y Tempo a y English 8 Xa ie M 3 Beginning Seconda y Tempo a y Ma hema ics 9 Nicholas M 7 T ansi ional P ima y Regula Ma hema ics & English 10 Bea ice F 8 Expe ienced Seconda y Regula English 11 Sophia F 9 Expe ienced Seconda y Regula English Li e a u e & English 12 Queenie F 5 T ansi ional Seconda y Tempo a y Ma hema ics 13 Rosie F 15 Expe ienced Seconda y Regula Biology, In eg a ed Science & Libe al S udies 14 Ian M 3 Beginning Seconda y Tempo a y Libe al S udies 15 Opal F 7 T ansi ional Seconda y Tempo a y Chinese 16 Elsa F 0 Beginning Seconda y Regula Visual A s 17 Viole F 11 Expe ienced Seconda y Regula Chinese 18 Lisa F 7 T ansi ional Seconda y Regula Chinese 19 Ka l M 6 T ansi ional Seconda y Regula Economics 20 Ma hew M 7 T ansi ional Seconda y Regula Ma hema ics 21 Te ance M 11 Expe ienced Seconda y Regula English In e iews We collec ed he semi-s uc u ed in e iews (K ale & B inkmann, 2009) o unde s and he cu en ensions encoun e ed by he eache pa icipan s and hei espec i e coping s a egies. The in e iews we e conduc ed in Can onese by he i s au ho in he summe o 2018, and held in enues whe e he pa icipan s el com o able and sa e o exp ess hough s and eelings ega ding hei wo k si ua ion. The in e iews las ed 51 minu es on a e age. The ollowing we e discussed: (i) pa icipan s’ p o essional alues and belie s, (ii) hei pe cep ions o how amily, social ci cles, and socie y comp ehend hei p o ession, (iii) hei wo k si ua ion, especially he s uggles and obs acles encoun e ed, (i ) hei ela ionships wi h managemen , colleagues, s uden s, and any in e pe sonal con lic s in he Teache s’ Iden i y Tensions and Rela ed Coping S a egies 8 wo kplace, ( ) hei p o essional p ospec s. In addi ion, he eache s we e asked i hey ound any belie o alue disc epancies in issues ela ed o (ii), (iii), o (i ). When disag eemen s, con lic s, s uggles, o ensions we e men ioned, he esea che ollowed up by asking i he in e iewee had de ised any coping s a egies o help deal wi h he si ua ion. Analysis We used hema ic analysis o analyse he iden i y ensions and he coping s a egies om he in e iew da a ansla ed om Can onese o English (B aun & Cla ke, 2006), and u ilised ATLAS. i o analysis. The ini ial coding o he da a s a ed wi h adop ing he eache s’ iden i y issues in p e ious esea ch on beginning and expe ienced eache s in o he cul u al con ex s (Pillen e al., 2013; an de Wan e al., 2018), e.g. ime o eaching s. ime o o he asks. Apa om using he codes in p e ious s udies, new codes, which a e mos ly ela ed o he mac o le el in he socie al and poli ical dimensions, e.g., eeling mo e in e io o o he p o essionals, a e gene a ed om he cu en da a. Then, he coded da a we e e- ead acco ding o each in e iewee’s con ex and discussed wi hin he esea ch g oup. Subsequen ly, he codes we e e ined o be e ca ego isa ion. Fo he i s esea ch ques ion, he codes ela ed o iden i y ensions we e e iewed and g ouped wi hin six domains a he mic o and mac o le els, such as s uden ela ionships and go e nmen policy. Fo he second ques ion, he codes we e ca ego ised unde wo main hemes: emo ion- ocused and p oblem- ocused coping s a egies. All he codes we e ead again. A his poin , some quo a ions associa ed wi h hose codes we e emo ed, as hey me ely illus a ed con lic s occu ing in he wo kplace wi hou igge ing any in e nal s uggles o nega i e emo ions in he in e iewees. Nex , all he sub hemes unde he main hemes we e discussed and modi ied by all esea che s in he g oup o ensu e comp ehensi eness in co e ing he ensions and s a egies desc ibed. We hen coun ed he numbe o eache s who men ioned a heme pe aining o ei he o he esea ch ques ions. In his way we gained a pic u e o he hemes in hei o ali y, and hei ela i e p ominence wi hin he da a. Mo eo e , he hema ic analysis ga e a ich o e iew o he phenomena unde in es iga ion ac oss he en i e g oup o eache s. To illus a e hose phenomena om he iewpoin o di e en ca ee s ages, we pick ou ex ac s ha had been no ed du ing he hema ic analysis (See Table 2 and 3). Addi ionally, we used na a i e me hod (Riessman, 2008) o p o ide mo e de ails on how he iden i y ensions in di e en domains impac on he p o essional li e phases. Th ee eache s, who encoun e ed he la ges numbe o iden i y ensions in he espec i e ca ee s age g oup, we e selec ed o u he illus a e he phenomena. Teache s’ Iden i y Tensions and Rela ed Coping S a egies 15 As in ea lie esea ch (e.g., Pillen e al., 2013; Ponnock e al., 2018), eache s a he beginning s age, who we e ela i ely lacking in p ac ical expe iences, had o s uggle wi h challenges including bu no limi ed o changing oles and expec a ions om s uden - eache o ull- ime eache , ela ionship wi h s uden s and colleagues (Pillen e al., 2013). All hese aspec s could nega i ely a ec a pe son’s p o essional iden i y, ca ee de elopmen , and psyche. In line wi h p e ious s udies (e.g., Sa as uen, 2020), app op ia e suppo , including men o ing and induc ion p ac ices, is needed o acili a e beginning eache s so ha hey can econ ex ualise hei knowledge om p o essional aining o school eali y, engage in s eep lea ning in eaching, disco e po en ials, and ealise hei aspi a ions in he p o ession. As ega ds eache s in he ansi ional s age, he s udy e ealed (as wi h beginning eache s) he pe sis ence o iden i y ensions ela ed o s uden s, non- eaching asks, and ca ee p ospec s. These eache s equi ed con inuous suppo o u he polish hei p o essional skills, despi e o ewe iden i y ensions associa ed wi h colleagues a e he induc ion phase. T ansi ional eache s a e gi en mo e adminis a i e asks and esponsibili ies han hei beginning coun e pa s; hence, a his ca ee s age, hea y wo kloads and excess accoun abili y o s uden s’ academic pe o mance could po en ially a ec well-being, lessen job sa is ac ion, and make wo k seem meaning ulness (Skaal ik & Skaal ik, 2017). The con lic be ween wo k and p i a e li e can pe sis om ea ly o mid and la e ca ee s ( an de Wan e al., 2018). Ano he in e es ing poin is ha many o he ansi ional eache s in he p esen s udy showed iden i y ensions ega ding hei s a us and oice in socie y—a ac o which was no ob ious in he o he s ages. Ponnock and colleagues (2018) ound ha eache s who su i ed he beginning s age may ha e g ea e mo i a ion and a heigh ened sense o sel -e icacy. To ake ad an age o his, and o sus ain ansi ional eache de elopmen in o he mid-ca ee phase, school leade s should open channels o eache s o con ibu e opinions o o ganisa ional de elopmen , acili a ing as a as possible nego ia ion o agency wi h he la ge o ces in luencing educa ional policies in he immedia e school en i onmen (Zembylas & Chubuck, 2018). Teache s a he expe ienced le el demons a ed he ewes iden i y ensions ela i e o he o he eaching s ages. As in he Du ch con ex ( an de Wan e al., 2018), he iden i y ensions ela ed o pedagogical expe ise and o s uden ela ions diminished when he expe ienced s age was achie ed. Mos o hese eache s we e assigned mo e du ies and esponsibili ies a he school, and hey became mo e sophis ica ed in op imising hei esou ces, p io i ising he ime spen on asks (Philipp & Kun e , 2013), and nego ia ing hei wo kload wi h he managemen . Howe e , mos o he expe ienced eache s showed iden i y ensions ela ing o collegial collabo a ion. Being us ed wi h leading posi ions, hey had o manage new oles and nego ia ed hei iden i y wi h o he colleagues and he en i onmen . Apa om ha ing expec a ions o he eaching communi y, managemen needs o pay mo e a en ion o eache s’ ca ee aspi a ions, pa icula ly he expe ienced Teache s’ Iden i y Tensions and Rela ed Coping S a egies 16 ones. The absence o p omo ion and leade ship oppo uni ies could lead eache s o disappoin men and shi hei li e ocus om p o essional o pe sonal ma e s as demons a ed in Sophia’s case. Thus, communica ion skills and leade ship de elopmen may be c ucial in sus aining he commi men and engagemen o eache s o e he longe e m. When coping wi h iden i y ensions, s a egies like ole a ing si ua ions, speaking o signi ican o he s, and communica ing p oblems we e men ioned, as has been ound in p e ious s udies (Pillen e al., 2013; an de Wan e al., 2018). I appea s ha pu ing up wi h he si ua ion is he mos p e alen coping s a egy, ega dless o he ca ee s age o he geog aphical con ex . Depending on pe sonal and wo kplace a o dances, some eache s in ou s udy we e able o communica e hei ensions, e lec on hemsel es, and ind spaces o implemen hei pedagogical ideas. Howe e , he s udy e ealed ha mos eache s ole a ed he ensions wi hou ac i e o ien a ion o special ac i i ies, seeking me ely o a oid u he con lic s. Thei pe cep ion was ha op-down decisions could no be in luenced unde he exis ing hie a chical managemen cul u e. I would be in e es ing o disco e whe he such ole a ion o di icul ci cums ances is a uni e sal coping s a egy o eache s, o whe he i is only p e alen in ce ain sociocul u al con ex s, also including epochs and gene a ional expe iences. Speci ic sociocul u al and poli ical o ces wi hin he schools and socie y o Hong Kong In addi ion o unde lining he eache iden i y ensions wi hin he p e alen school en i onmen , he p esen s udy also demons a ed how speci ic iden i y ensions a e ela ed o he socie al-poli ical si ua ion in Hong Kong. Fi s , he indings showed ha he majo iden i y ension o eache s a all ca ee s ages was he hie a chical s uc u e ha es ained exp ession om he bo om up. The hie a chical school s uc u e made eache s eel es ic ed in communica ing ideas and p oblems. Discou aged by p ede e mined decisions and by he neglec ul a i ude o managemen , eache s esponded wi h inac ion, silence, and accep ance o hei powe lessness wi hin he p o ession (Tsang, 2018). Fo example, Ian and Felix desc ibed hei p o essional iden i y as one o “being obedien ”, in ol ing a posi ion o being “a passi e ollowe ”. To acili a e eache s’ de elopmen and encou age collegial collabo a ion, school leade s and policymake s should encou age mo e e ec i e and e enly dis ibu ed leade ship (Tian e al., 2016). This would u he in ol e g ea e ecogni ion o eache s’ oices and he g an ing o esou ces o acili a e he enac men o p o essional agency. Secondly, unde he cen alised-decen alisa ion sys em, he locus o con ol in educa ional policies is cu en ly in he hands o he go e nmen a he han a p o essionalised eaching o ce. Top-down educa ional changes and ini ia i es a e o en imposed on schools, and bo om-up channels a e limi ed o non-exis en , wi h no means o eache s and schools o oice conce ns and c i icism. In he absence o ecogni ion o eache s’ p o essional agency Teache s’ Iden i y Tensions and Rela ed Coping S a egies 17 o o in e ac i e communica ion in he o ma ion and e alua ion o he egion’s educa ional issues, eache s canno in e p e he meaning ulness o new policies o wo k owa ds genuine pedagogical changes. The iden i y ensions in his domain a e likely o be in ensi ied in he egion, due o s ic e poli ical con ol a e he 2019-2020 p o es s. Wi h he disbanding o he la ges p o-democ acy eache s’ union in 2021, indi idual and collec i e p o essionals’ oices became ulne able and e en mu ed, owing o a ea o p osecu ion based on he newly en o ced na ional secu i y law in 2020. Thi dly, ega ding socie al cul u al aspec s, eache s’ iden i y ensions a e oo ed in he egion’s high expec a ions ega ding eache s’ pe o mance and mo al s anda ds. Academic achie emen is hea ily ensh ined in egional alues, o he ex en ha low-achie ing s uden s and weak uni e si y accep ance a es emain a sou ce o p essu e o eache s. As eache s a e iewed as ole models o subsequen gene a ions, he beginning eache s in ou s udy we e pa icula ly uncom o able and depe sonalised, because o he ex emely high mo al expec a ions imposed. Howe e , he high expec a ions we e no accompanied by high s a us o espec o he p o ession. The pe cep ion o an in e io s a us among ansi ional eache s, ega dless o hei specialised educa ional skills, is in line wi h he s udy o Mo is (2004), who no ed he ex en o which eache s we e ea ed as semi- p o essionals and c i icised by pe sons ou side he ield. Fou hly, in con as wi h o he cul u al con ex s ( an de Wan e al., 2018), iden i y ensions associa ed wi h pa en s we e no equally p e alen ac oss all he ca ee s ages in he Hong Kong con ex . One explana ion could be ha Hong Kong is a Con ucius-he i age socie y, wi h eachings emphasizing he no ions o espec ing eache s and obeying senio s o main ain socie al o de and ela ional ha mony. Mo eo e , beginning eache s we e no usually assigned majo class oom eache oles; hence, ela ionships wi h pa en s we e mainly handled by mo e expe ienced s a o s eng hen pa en s’ us in he school. Limi a ions The s udy has se e al limi a ions. Fi s ly, he da a in he p esen s udy was based on 21 eache s who olun a ily sha ed hei eelings and hough s ega ding hei own ca ee expe ience. Due o pe sonali y and cha ac e di e ences, no all he eache s expe ienced he ensions mos ypical o a gi en eaching le el. Secondly, he in e iews we e conduc ed ace- o- ace a he end o he 2018 academic yea ; hence, his s udy could only explo e he in e nal ensions p esen ed a he indica ed ime poin and migh now be supe seded by o he posi i e o nega i e ac o s. This s udy indica es he need o u he explo a ion o quali ied eache s’ iden i y ensions in e ms o ca ee s age, he school clima e, eaching posi ions, and he socio-cul u al and egional con ex . I is wo hwhile o explo e he iden i y ensions expe ienced by eache s in di e en egional en i onmen s and enhance he unde s anding o he challenges and suppo o he de elopmen o posi i e eache iden i y ela ed o he school o ganisa ional Teache s’ Iden i y Tensions and Rela ed Coping S a egies 18 s uc u e and he speci ic poli ical socio-cul u al con ex s. Fu he mo e, a longi udinal s udy, along wi h o he esea ch me hods such as obse a ion o lea ning dia ies, would del e deepe in o he opic, con ibu ing o a be e unde s anding o changes in iden i y ensions, wi h possibili ies also o design be e suppo o eache s. Implica ions and conclusion The p esen indings demons a e ha eache iden i y ensions a e no limi ed o he ea ly s age o he eaching ca ee , and do no eme ge only in esponse o educa ional e o ms. Many o he s uggles and ensions men ioned ha e exis ed o o e a decade. On he mac o le el, policymake s should pay mo e a en ion o eache s’ oices and esea ch ecommenda ions, and add ess eache s’ needs a he o e on o educa ional policy. Wi hin schools, suppo i e leade ship and a collegial collabo a i e cul u e need o be cul i a ed, as hese would p omp eache s o become ac i e agen s in imp o ing he school. The s udy i sel con ains a amewo k ha o e s eache s, esea che s, and policymake s a way o iden i y he locus o ensions in eache s, wi h implica ions o s a egies ha will suppo eache s a di e en p o essional li e phases and p omo e hei well-being in he ele an con ex s. The cu en wo king condi ions o eache s in Hong Kong a e cha ac e ised by high o e en ha sh socie al expec a ions ega ding eache s’ abili ies and pe sonal li es. As Hong Kong has been unde going d ama ic socie al and poli ical changes, u he esea ch should add ess he ulne abili ies ha cu en ly exis in he p o essionalism o eache s in he egion. Disclosu e s a emen No po en ial con lic o in e es was epo ed by he au ho s. A icle his o y Recei ed: 03 Sep 2021 Accep ed: 26 Sep 2022 Published: 7 No 2022 Re e ences Akke man, S. F., & Meije , P. C. (2011). A dialogical app oach o concep ualizing eache iden i y. Teaching and Teache Educa ion, 27(2), 308-319. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j. a e.2010.08.013 Beijaa d, D., Meije , P. C., & Ve loop, N. (2004). Reconside ing esea ch on eache s’ p o essional iden i y. Teaching and Teache Educa ion, 20(2), 107-128. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j. a e.2003.07.001 B aun, V., & Cla ke, V. (2006). Using hema ic analysis in psychology. Quali a i e Resea ch in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. h ps://doi.o g/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa Teache s’ Iden i y Tensions and Rela ed Coping S a egies 19 Connell, R. (2013, Feb ua y 20). Neolibe alism and highe educa ion: The Aus alian case. Uni e si ies in C isis: Blog o he In e na ional Sociological Associa ion. h p://isa- uni e si ies-in-c isis.isa-sociology.o g/?p=994 Da ies, T., & Da ies, T. (2013). Inco po a ing c ea i i y in o eache s p ac ice and sel - concep o p o essional iden i y. Jou nal o Educa ional Change, 14(1), 51-71. h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/s10833-012-9192-3 Day, C. (2012). New li es o eache s. Teache Educa ion Qua e ly, 39(1), 7-26. h ps://www.js o .o g/s able/23479560 Day, C. (2018). P o essional iden i y ma e s: Agency, emo ions, and esilience. In P. A. Schu z, J. Hong, & D. C. F ancis (Eds.), Resea ch on eache iden i y (p. 61-70). Sp inge . h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/978-3-319-93836-3_6 G aham, L. J., Whi e, S. L., Cologon, K., & Pian a, R. C. (2020). Do eache s’ yea s o expe ience make a di e ence in he quali y o eaching? Teaching and Teache Educa ion, 96, A icle e103190. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j. a e.2020.103190 Hube man, M. (1993). The li es o eache s. Teache s College P ess. Kayi-Ayda , H. (2015). Teache agency, posi ioning, and English language lea ne s: Voices o p e-se ice class oom eache s. Teaching and Teache Educa ion, 45, 94-103. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j. a e.2014.09.009 Kelch e mans, G. (2009). Who I am in how I each is he message: Sel -unde s anding, ulne abili y and e lec ion. Teache s and Teaching: Theo y and P ac ice, 15(2), 257- 272. h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/13540600902875332 Kelch e mans, G., & Balle , K. (2002). The mic opoli ics o eache induc ion: A na a i e- biog aphical s udy on eache socialisa ion. Teaching and Teache Educa ion, 18(1), 105-120. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/S0742-051X(01)00053-1 Ko, J., Cheng, Y. C., & Lee, T. T. H. (2016). The de elopmen o school au onomy and accoun abili y in Hong Kong: Mul iple changes in go e nance, wo k, cu iculum, and lea ning. In e na ional Jou nal o Educa ional Managemen , 30(7), 1207-1230. h ps://doi.o g/10.1108/IJEM-10-2015-0145 K ale, S., & B inkmann, S. (2009). In e iews: Lea ning he c a o quali a i e esea ch in e iewing (2nd ed.). SAGE. Mo is, P. (2004). Teaching in Hong Kong: P o essionaliza ion, accoun abili y and he s a e. Resea ch Pape s in Educa ion, 19(1), 105-121. h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/0267152032000177007 Ng, P. T., & Chan, D. (2008). A compa a i e s udy o Singapo e's school excellence model wi h Hong Kong's school‐based managemen . In e na ional Jou nal o Educa ional Managemen , 22(6), 488-505. h ps://doi.o g/10.1108/09513540810895426 Philipp, A., & Kun e , M. (2013). How do eache s spend hei ime? A s udy on eache s’ s a egies o selec ion, op imisa ion, and compensa ion o e hei ca ee cycle. Teaching and Teache Educa ion, 35, 1-12. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j. a e.2013.04.014 Teache s’ Iden i y Tensions and Rela ed Coping S a egies 20 Pillen, M., Beijaa d, D., & den B ok, P. (2013). Tensions in beginning eache s’ p o essional iden i y de elopmen , accompanying eelings and coping s a egies. Eu opean Jou nal o Teache Educa ion, 36(3), 240-260. h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/02619768.2012.696192 Ponnock, A. R., To sney, B. M., & Lomba di, D. (2018). Mo i a ional di e ences h oughou eache s' p epa a ion and ca ee . New Wa es: Educa ional Resea ch and De elopmen Jou nal, 21(2), 26-45. Raha jo, Y. M. R. D., & Iswanda i, Y. A. (2019). P o essional iden i y ensions and coping s a egies o EFL p e-se ice eache s. Jou nal o English Teaching, 5(1), 26-37. h ps://doi.o g/10.33541/je . 5i1.957 Riessman, C. K. (2008). Na a i e me hods o he human sciences. SAGE. Sahlbe g, P. (2014). Finnish lessons 2.0: Wha can he wo ld lea n om educa ional change in Finland? (2nd ed.). Teache s College P ess. Sa as uen, N. K. (2020). F om guiding app en ices o eaching s uden s: Fundamen al challenges in he iden i y ansi ion om occupa ional p ac i ione o oca ional educa o . Voca ions and Lea ning, 13, 245-261. h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/s12186-019- 09240-1 Schaap, H., Louws, M., Mei ink, J., Oolbekkink-Ma chand, H., Van De Wan , A., Zuike , I., Zwa , R., & Meije , P. (2019). Tensions expe ienced by eache s when pa icipa ing in a p o essional lea ning communi y. P o essional De elopmen in Educa ion, 45(5), 814–831. h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/19415257.2018.1547781 Schul e, B. (2018). En isioned and enac ed p ac ices: Educa ional policies and he “poli ics o use” in schools. Jou nal o Cu iculum S udies, 50(5), 624-637. h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/00220272.2018.1502812 Skaal ik, E., & Skaal ik, S. (2017). Dimensions o eache bu nou : Rela ions wi h po en ial s esso s a school. Social Psychology o Educa ion, 20, 775-790. h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/s11218-017-9391-0 The Wo ld Bank. (2022). Seconda y educa ion, eache s, emale—Hong Kong SAR, China. The Wo ld Bank. h ps://da a.wo ldbank.o g/indica o /SE.SEC.TCHR.FE?loca ions=HK Tian, M., Risku, M., & Collin, K. (2016). A me a-analysis o dis ibu ed leade ship om 2002 o 2013: Theo y de elopmen , empi ical e idence and u u e esea ch ocus. Educa ional Managemen Adminis a ion & Leade ship, 44(1), 146-164. h ps://doi.o g/10.1177/1741143214558576 Tsang, K. K. (2018). Teache aliena ion in Hong Kong. Discou se: S udies in he Cul u al Poli ics o Educa ion, 39(3), 335-346. h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/01596306.2016.1261084 Vähäsan anen, K., Hökkä, P., Paloniemi, S., He anen, S., & E eläpel o, A. (2017). P o essional lea ning and agency in an iden i y coaching p og amme. P o essional De elopmen in Educa ion, 43(4), 514-536. h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/19415257.2016.1231131 Teache s’ Iden i y Tensions and Rela ed Coping S a egies 21 an de Wal, M. M., Oolbekkink-Ma chand, H. W., Schaap, H., & Meije , P. C. (2019). Impac o ea ly ca ee eache s’ p o essional iden i y ensions. Teaching and Teache Educa ion, 80, 59-70. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j. a e.2019.01.001 an de Wan , A. C., Schellings, G. L. M., & Momme s, J. (2018). Expe ienced eache s dealing wi h issues in educa ion: A ca ee pe spec i e. Teache s and Teaching, 24(7), 802-824. h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/13540602.2018.1481024 Ye, J., & Zhao, D. (2019). De eloping di e en iden i y ajec o ies: Lessons om he Chinese eache s. Teache s and Teaching, 25(1), 34-53. h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/13540602.2018.1532408 Zembylas, M., & Chubbuck, S. (2018). Concep ualizing “ eache iden i y”: A poli ical app oach. In P. A. Schu z, J. Hong, & D. C. F ancis (Eds.), Resea ch on eache iden i y: Mapping challenges and inno a ions (p. 183-193). Sp inge . h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/978-3-319-93836-3_16