Early career teachers' professional agency within school structures and teacher unions

Abstract

Early-career teachers (ECTs) enact their professional agency in their school contexts and through their choice of teacher unions. Given the historical context of systemic inequities inherited from apartheid, there is an imperative for ECTs to act as agents of change within the education system. This study seeks to understand how early-career teachers involved in student activism during their university years navigate the tensions between their activist identities and prevailing educational practices. This study critically examines the extent to which ECTs assimilate easily into their schooling contexts and, if not, how they endeavour to transform the status quo. Drawing upon Bourdieu’s field theory and Legitimation Code Theory’s (LCT) constellation analysis, the research investigates how ECTs perceive their roles and navigate the complexities of school environments and the grounds on which they decide which of the teacher unions to join. Employing a mixed-methods approach, data were collected through surveys and individual interviews with ECTs from various local teaching contexts. The findings reveal that while many ECTs envision a transformed education system centred on equity and social justice, their expectations often clash with rigid institutional structures that inhibit their agency. In situations where there are conflicts, I identify teaching practices that ECTs either openly resist, accept, or comply with reluctantly. The study reveals that ECTs’ choice of union is predominantly guided by four benefits they seek to derive from union membership: seeking protection, seeking alignment with personal values, seeking strategic association with powerful groups of teachers within their school communities, and seeking opportunities for professional learning. Through a nuanced exploration of both activist and non-activist ECTs, I have captured distinct narratives that highlight not only differing motivations but also contrasting strategies in facing systemic dilemmas. Key words: early-career teachers, professional agency, education transformation, social justice, activism, Legitimation Code Theory, constellations, teacher unions.