Abstract
This thesis investigates the identities of teachers working in international schools in Thailand, focusing on identities as complex, negotiated and situated within the dynamic and evolving socio-cultural and educational landscape of international schools. Identity is understood through a post-structuralist sociological lens, emphasising the multiplicity and fluidity of identity as a socially constructed and ongoing process. A Foucauldian perspective is employed to interpret the interplay between individual agency and societal structures in the negotiation of identity, examining how power relations and discursive practices influence the personal narratives and identity processes of teachers in these transnational educational environments.A narrative approach was adopted to collect data through semi-structured qualitative interviews with 14 participants employed as teachers in international schools in Bangkok, with at least 2 years of experience international schools. Thematic analysis was conducted to produce a range of themes across professional, personal, and social aspects of participant identities. Data was also collected through job advertisements from the TES jobs website. 35 job advertisements for teaching positions at international schools in Thailand were collected, and these texts analysed as discourses functioning to construct and project identities and professional roles to potential candidates. Job advertisements were understood as policy texts, shaped by institutional, national, and broader economic influences, and revealing ideological positionings, with comparison made to job advertisements from U.K. national school.
Research findings highlight the dynamic and contested nature of teacher identity in international schools, emphasising the role of local and global socio-economic forces, the inherently political nature of these educational settings, and the impact of cultural and personal histories. The complementary data collection methods and Foucauldian perspective highlight identity as a site of struggle, continuously negotiated between individual selves and their societies. This study contributes to the field of international education by providing nuanced understandings of the identity processes of teachers in international schools, building on existing literature around teacher motivations, social positioning, precarious privilege, strategic transitions, and capital accumulation. The range of themes and discourses which emerged provide a framework for further investigation. New findings underscore the importance of recognising for international school teachers their diverse identity processes, professional development and career trajectories, and the perspectives of teachers who are LGBTQ+, BIPOC, or non-native speakers of English. Discussion offers insights to teachers themselves and implications for international school policy and practices in increasingly globalised contexts. This research advocates a nuanced and participant-centred approach to research, further investigating specific sub-groups, and understanding of these educators as a whole, in the unique and evolving settings of international schools.
| Date of Award | 26 Mar 2025 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Denise Mifsud (Supervisor) & Mary Hayden (Supervisor) |