Abstract This qualitative study explores how public kindergarten teachers in South Korea construct their identities through the intersecting processes of becoming a parent and becoming a teacher. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, policy documents, and parent–teacher mobile app communications and analyzed using thematic coding from both emic and etic perspectives. Three main categories and six subcategories were identified. First, becoming a parent as an early childhood teacher involved ambivalent experiences of (a) experiencing “Ignorance is bliss” and (b) experiencing “Knowledge is power,” as prior professional knowledge shaped parental decision-making while also inhibiting emotional expression. Second, becoming a teacher as a parent entailed (a) reconsidering past judgment of oneself and (b) extending empathy and consideration beyond professional duty, which reflects a shift toward relational sensitivity. Third, interwoven becoming across parent and teacher identities was marked by (a) experiencing conflicting gazes and (b) choosing to let go, as participants negotiated their dual roles through moments of vulnerability and release. The findings suggest that teacher identity is not static but emergent, shaped by personal transitions and relational practices, and call for a rethinking of professional expertise as a dynamic, responsive process.
Lee et al. (Tue,) studied this question.