Abstracts Category : Other

Motives, Identity and Learning across Two Occupational Fields: Parallel Career Teachers in Higher Vocational Education.

by Haan Else de

Attracting and retaining individuals who deliberately choose to continue their primary occupation combined with a career in teaching offers several advantages to higher vocational education. From a theoretical perspective, a parallel career is an interesting phenomenon because of its potential influence on professional identity and professional learning. This has not been investigated before in the context of higher vocational education. Insights into these aspects contribute to the conceptualization of parallel career teachers identity and learning as well as to efforts to attract and retain these teachers in higher vocational education.The aim of this study was to explore parallel career teachers motives, professional identity and professional learning, specifically of clinician-teachers, in the context of moving across the boundaries of both their occupational fields. Boundary crossing and Dialogical Self Theory were used as analytical frameworks.A qualitative study following a phenomenological interpretative approach was carried out. Semi- structured interviews were held with sixteen teachers from four allied health programmes at a large university of applied sciences in the Netherlands.Participants narratives demonstrated the multiple, situated and social nature of professional identity and the learning mechanisms that play a role in learning at the boundary. Sustained personal and professional growth, commitment to their clinical profession and credibility and authenticity as a teacher were important motives for a parallel career. Working environment dynamics influenced positioning of clinician and teacher identities and feelings of competence in either role. Participants successfully integrated the teacher identity and exploited the learning potential of working across the boundaries of the clinical and academic world to the benefit of both. Perceptions of their teaching role reflected modern educational goals in higher vocational education and allied health education. Participants strove to improve the quality of clinical practice and the education of their future colleagues, often taking the lead in introducing innovations in either field.This study provides empirical evidence for a dialogical view on identity and the types of learning at the boundary. It also demonstrates that educational institutes and clinical practices in allied health may profit from appointing clinician-teachers and supporting them in sustaining a parallel career.