Arguing for Your Self: identity as an organising principle in teachers' jobs and lives

Abstract Biography and life history are currently enjoying a revival in educational research and development. This article considers the implications of adopting a ‘biographical attitude’ to research and policy issues, and explores the notion of identity as an organising principle in teachers' jobs and lives. Identity, it is suggested, can be seen as a kind of argument— a resource that people use to explain, justify and make sense of themselves in relation to others, and to the world at large. While identity is a site of permanent struggle for everyone, teachers may be undergoing a particularly acute crisis of identity, as the old models and exemplars of teacherhood disintegrate under contemporary social and economic pressures. The article is based upon an empirical study of 69 primary and secondary teachers .