Teachers' work today: Exploring Finnish teachers' narratives

This study employs narrative as a theoretical perspective and methodological approach, looking at the current nature of teachers' work from the viewpoint of 25 Finnish basic education teachers. Several categories such as multiple teacher roles and fragmentation of teachers' work, teamwork and multi-professional cooperation, pupils' diverse backgrounds, changed learning skills and behaviour, opportunities and challenges of digitalization, schools' open architecture, and pandemic were identified. These categories illustrate teachers' work today as hectic and changing, involving relational intensification, and as challenging and redefining teachers' identities. The implications for pre- and in-service teachers' professional development are discussed.

Automated summary

This study examines the current nature of teachers' work from the perspective of 25 Finnish basic education teachers, using narrative as a theoretical perspective and methodological approach. The study identifies various categories such as multiple teacher roles and fragmentation of teachers' work, teamwork and multi-professional cooperation, pupils' diverse backgrounds, changed learning skills and behavior, opportunities and challenges of digitalization, schools' open architecture, and the pandemic. These categories illustrate the hectic and changing nature of teachers' work today, involving relational intensification and challenging the redefinition of teachers' identities. The implications for pre- and in-service teachers' professional development are discussed.