Health education teachers' historical bodies: constructing teacher identity and teaching information evaluation
ISSN: 0965-4283
Article publication date: 15 December 2020
Issue publication date: 19 January 2021
Abstract
Purpose
This article describes how Finnish health education teachers verbalise and construct their teacher identity based on their lifestyle, subject area and relationships with their students.
Design/methodology/approach
Narrative interviews were conducted amongst eight secondary and upper secondary school teachers. The nexus analysis was used to analyse teachers' methods of teaching students information-seeking, evaluation and critical thinking skills.
Findings
The teachers' historical bodies – their skills, interests, information-seeking habits and familiar sources – impacted the chosen teaching methods. The results indicate that teacher identity is constructed along different paths and is constantly performed and transformed in the classroom through interactions with students.
Originality/value
The study illustrates the reconstruction of teacher identity through interaction in interviews. Teachers act as role models, information gatekeepers and trustees who guide students to choose credible health information sources.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The study was funded by the Academy of Finland (Grant No. 299112) and Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation.Disclosure statement: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Citation
Nygård, T., Hirvonen, N., Räisänen, S. and Korkeamäki, R.-L. (2021), "Health education teachers' historical bodies: constructing teacher identity and teaching information evaluation", Health Education, Vol. 121 No. 1, pp. 59-74. https://doi.org/10.1108/HE-10-2020-0096
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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