Teaching on the Edge: TPACK and Professional Identity Formation in a Remote Island of Indonesia

Becoming a teacher is a challenging decision for many individuals, as the teaching profession is inherently complex. Furthermore, the challenges increase significantly when one chooses to teach in rural areas. The study aims to explore the experiences of six novice English teachers from rural Indonesia on how TPACK framework has helped them shape their professional teacher identity. Using a narrative inquiry approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews and observations. The narratives were analysed based on the predetermined themes that covers novice English teachers’ career, their TPACK implementation, and how TPACK shape their professional identity. The analysis reveals that TPACK plays a significant role in the development of teacher identity, with each of its elements contributing significantly to different aspects of teaching. The findings indicate that a strong teacher identity emerges from a proportional understanding and effective implementation of the TPACK framework. Furthermore, the study highlighted the essential role of teacher education programs in providing pre-service teachers with comprehensive knowledge and experiences to foster identity formation. The relationship between the TPACK framework and teacher identity is found to be interconnected and complementary. Future research should explore the long-term impact of TPACK implementation on teaching practices and examine its effects in a more diverse and complex setting to obtain a broader understanding.