Reflective view on Teaching as a Career: A Case Study

Article title: Reflective view on Teaching as a Career: A Case Study

Author(s): Mariyam Akram & Syeda Salma Hasan

Institute(s): Department of Psychology, GC University Lahore

Journal: Pakistan Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 2018, Vol. 16, No.1, 27-38

Correspondence Address: Mariyam Akram, PhD Scholar, Department of Psychology, Government College University Lahore (Pakistan), Email: mary.ravian@gmail.com

Abstract

The present case study was aimed to explore the prospects of University teaching by an expert teacher and to highlight the importance of reflection on teaching for professional development. A semi-structured in-depth interview of 14 questions was conducted to explore teaching as a career and was analyzed by Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).Ten superordinate themes were extracted from the data, which included selecting of teaching as a career, teaching profession now a days, students needs, journey as a teacher, need for discipline, key features of teaching, sources and resources of professional development, weaknesses in Pakistani university teaching, and achievements in teaching career. The results highlighted the changes in teaching career over the period of time from novice to expert. Furthermore, it has also been observed that an expert teacher not only highlights the changes in himself/herself, but also discusses his experience with his students for making him a successful teacher. The participant talked about his career from different perspectives, personal, professional, relational and success that he gained. This case study indicates that reflection in teaching career plays a vital role in becoming a successful teacher as it keeps you updated about your flaws and strengths.

Keywords: reflective view ,teaching, university, career, professional development, journey

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