Using life history to understand the interplay between identity, critical agency and social justice education

Abstract

In this article we use the concepts identity, agency and social justice education as a lens to explore the role of life history research in the study of the interconnection between emerging teacher identities, critical agency and social justice education. By exploring the life history of a white woman pre-service teacher, this study foregrounds the use of life history research to help teacher educators to understand the contexts through which student teachers' identities are constructed, and how these identities feed into agency and a stance to bring about social change.