The profession of teaching is changing at an unprecedented speed. Teachers are tasked with adapting to a changing technological and instructional landscape, increased mental health concerns of students, and politicization of their work; understanding the ways in which teachers conceptualize their professional identities can help to address persistent challenges such as teacher retention and aligning teacher education with the current context of teaching. This presentation describes findings from a mixed-methods study investigating how teachers construct and express their professional identity through Instagram posts. The methodology combines qualitative content analysis of Instagram posts with focus group discussions to provide rich, contextualized data on teacher professional identity development. Turning to Instagram as a source of information about teachers’ professional identities reflects the ubiquitous nature of social media in the lives of teachers, yet the approach and questions are novel because most social media research about teachers has focused on the ways in which they adopt tools or learn new instructional techniques.
Anne Burns Thomas is a Professor in the Foundations and Social Advocacy Department in the School of Education at SUNY College at Cortland. A former middle school teacher, her research interests include the nature of support for new teachers in urban schools, urban teacher education... Read More →
Wednesday October 21, 2026 11:30am - 12:20pm EDT Garden Room
