Becoming a primary school inspector

: an autoethnographical exploration of a shifting professional identity

Abstract

The author became a primary school inspector in 2014, having spent the previous three decades working as a primary school teacher. The experience of a sudden change in professional roles and duties from teacher to inspector prompted a process of self-reflection on the experience of a shift in professional identity. I was interested in the key supports to the formation of my new inspector identity, among them my established past identity as a teacher; what were the key experiences in my professional journey which have established and foregrounded my identity as an inspector?


The ongoing process of self-reflection was given expression through the autoethnographic use of personal journal writing completed mainly over a six-month period in 2020. These journal entries documented reflections on my day-to-day experiences as a primary school inspector along with narratives and reflections on key historical moments regarding my professional identity formation. In line with an autoethnographic methodology, a thematic analysis of my journal writing informed the construction of a semi-structured interview schedule designed to test out ideas, topics and themes arising from my writing with a sample of primary school inspectors, principals, and teachers.

This study draws on the analyses of my journal writing and participant interviews to shed light on the heretofore unexplored area of inspector professional identity formation. The importance of professional affirmation in identity formation is highlighted, along with the challenges inspectors face in achieving a balance between evaluating, advising and supporting schools. The concept of fear of inspection is explored in the course of the analyses, discussion and conclusion.

Date of Award	Jul 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Queen's University Belfast
Sponsors	Department of Education and Skills
Supervisor	Gavin Duffy (Supervisor) & Cathal McManus (Supervisor)