Abstract
This paper extends the theorization of identity grafting (Lee 2017), developed to understand individual cultural identity processes that buttress repression, born-again, integrated, and situational strategies to reconcile identity tensions that arise from change in a Chinese context. A qualitative case study approach is employed to examine two groups of teachers at an elementary school engaged in professional learning communities (PLC) to implement mixed-ability learning. Childhood home language (CHL) is used to identify homogeneous or diverse group cultural identities to typologize the identity grafting strategies of the two PLCs in the case school. The findings show that homogenous and diverse group cultural identity PLCs serve different purposes, and mixed-ability learning is more likely to emerge from PLCs of diverse group cultural identities engaging integrated/situational identity grafting. This paper is the first to extend the theory of identity grafting to study group cultural identities, and the findings demonstrated the potential for transforming identity grafting strategies as teachers engaged these collaborative spaces. The findings also broadened the scope to the study of language as a cultural construct, unveiling how CHL functions as a form of tacit cultural identity, as opposed to overt identities such as nationality and ethnicity.
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Abbreviations
- CHL:
-
Childhood home language
- HA:
-
High ability
- LA:
-
Low ability
- MA:
-
Middle ability
- OECD:
-
Organisation for economic co-operation and development
- PISA:
-
Programme for international student assessment
- PLC:
-
Professional learning community
- SES:
-
Socioeconomic status
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Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank the reviewers and the editorial team for their support, and acknowledge the following funding sources: Ministry Academies Fund, Ministry of Education Singapore (Grant Code: AFR05/14LHL); and Research Grants Council Hong Kong (Grant Code: 28605318). The author would also like to thank all research collaborators who contributed to the research efforts that made this publication possible, especially Ms. Helen Hong.
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Lee, D.H.L. “Marrying Chinese and Western Values”: Teacher identity grafting in collaborative efforts to improve student learning via mixed-ability learning. J Educ Change 22, 271–295 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-020-09368-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-020-09368-1