Transformative Way of Becoming a Teacher : A Phenomenological-Hermeneutic Analysis of Class Teacher Education in Finland

Abstract

Transformative learning in teacher education qualitatively changes future teachers’meaning systems of learning, teaching, and education. In this study, I exploredtransformative learning in Finnish class teacher education. Data were collected byobserving student teachers over two academic years. Data also contains writings thatstudent teachers produced during that period. A phenomenological analysis focused onthe general characteristics ofthe transformative way of becoming a teacherand identified aprocess consisting of four phases: starting point, crack, ambivalence, and transfor-mation. A hermeneutic analysis was used to interpret how the process occurred inpractice. The results suggest a long and ambivalent process, which challenges edu-cational policy discourses that emphasize efficiency and speed.