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Education

Teacher Identity Continuum: A Framework for Teacher Identity Shifts Online

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

As the COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread migration to online education, teachers in higher education institutions (HEIs) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had to adapt quickly to a new teaching context. According to a recent study published in the International Journal of Educational Research Open, 14 English faculty members in HEIs in the UAE shared their experiences and insights on how they navigated this transition and developed their teacher identities. The study's findings led to the development of a new framework, the Teacher Identity Continuum (TIC), which highlights the complexities of teacher identity shifts online.

Key Takeaways:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic forced a rapid transition to online education for teachers in HEIs in the UAE, highlighting the need for a framework to understand teacher identity shifts online.
  • The study found that teachers' online identities can be categorized into three types: Digital Adapters, Digital Resisters, and Digital Ambivalents, which reflect their beliefs, roles, and practices.
  • The Teacher Identity Continuum (TIC) framework, developed through a qualitative exploratory multimethod approach, provides a new understanding of teacher identity shifts online and offers practical implications for teachers, teacher education, and institutional leadership.
  • The TIC framework has the potential to support teachers in navigating transitions and times of change, enabling them to develop their professional identities and adapt to new educational contexts.
  • The study highlights the importance of considering teachers' identities in the face of change and the need for further research on teacher identity formation, factors impacting identity changes, and the role of identities in teachers' motivation and learning.

Statistics:

  • 14 English faculty members in HEIs in the UAE participated in the study, sharing their experiences and insights on teacher identity shifts online.
  • The study found that teachers' online identities were influenced by their beliefs, roles, and practices, with Digital Adapters being the most adaptable and Digital Resisters resisting change the most.

Sources:

  • El-Soussi, A. (2025). Teacher identity continuum: A framework for teacher identity shifts online. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 8(), 100411.
  • NewsRx. (2025, June 15). Reports Outline Education Study Results from American University of Sharjah (Teacher identity continuum: A framework for teacher identity shifts online). Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA, 628.

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