A glimpse into the professional identities of Irish Further Education and Training practitioners

This presentation will discuss in brief a PhD research project that is in its final stages. The project examined the professional identities of Further Education and Training (FET) practitioners in the Irish FET sector and considered the impact of post-2012 sectoral changes upon those identities. The theoretical approach was informed by the work of Margaret Archer in relation to identity, agency and structure. The methodological design was underpinned by a critical realist position and involved an inductive, grounded theory informed approach to the investigation of the research issues.

The Irish FET sector, as a distinct and official sector of the Irish national education system, came into being in 2013. It provides full and part-time, accredited and non-accredited, formal and informal education and training opportunities to groups and individuals over the age of 15. Accreditation is offered between Level 1 and 6 on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications (EFQ Level 1 to 5; RQF Entry Level to Level 5).

Just as Irish FET programmes are diverse, so too are FET practitioners in terms of their own education, training, professional qualifications, career goals and values and beliefs about learning and teaching.

The project consisted of three data collection stages. Contextual data in relation to the Irish FET sector and issues of importance to FET practitioners was gathered through Stage 1, an initial small consultation, and Stage 2, a larger on-line survey. Narrative interviews were then conducted during Stage 3 which allowed for a more in-depth exploration of the professional identities held by FET practitioners and the impact of sectoral changes upon those identities.

This presentation will provide a very brief overview of the approach taken to the research and will highlight a selection of the most interesting findings.