Ideal Teacherhood in Vocational Education

Abstract

Aims: Ideal teacherhood in vocational education has not been widely studied or comprehensively defined. However, in the changing work life, the role of vocational education teachers (VET) becomes more and more important as they are responsible for educating future employees in numerous professional fields. What does ideal teacherhood consist of in vocational education? Study Design: The narrative research approach was chosen to study VETs’ perceptions of ideal teacherhood in vocational education. Methodology: In this study, twelve Finnish VETs were recruited from one vocational education college with multiple fields. The data obtained included oral (N=5) and written (N=7) narratives. Results: According to the results, the conception of ideal teacherhood turned into a more realistic one as the VETs’ work experience increased. Conclusion: Ideal teacherhood in vocational education occurred in the VETs’ descriptions through six features of which three are connected with VETs’ professional self and three with personal self. Ideal teacherhood in vocational education can be found in the confluence of these two areas of VET identity.