Reflections on Narrativity, Context and History in Teachers' Biographical Research

Authors

• Päivi Siivonen Helsingin yliopisto
• Johanna Snellman
• Ulpukka Isopahkala-Bouret Helsingin yliopisto

Abstract

The importance of teachers’ biographical research has been firmly acknowledged in education and social sciences. A multitude of theoretical and methodological concepts applied, however, may lead to conceptual dilemmas and contradictions that have been rarely addressed. In this article we examine two – in many ways similar but also markedly different – historically oriented methodological approaches to teachers’ biographies: Ivor Goodson’s life history research and Maria Tamboukou’s narrative genealogical analysis. Our aim is to trace the methodological differences and similarities as well as the possible conceptual dilemmas of the biographical analyses developed by Goodson and Tamboukou. The focus is on how narrative, context and history are to be understood in Goodson’s and Tamboukou’s approaches. Moreover, we are interested in what kind of knowledge these approaches generate when applied to teachers’ biographical data. Our methodological examination illustrates both the challenges and possibilities of teachers’ biographical research.