Professional Support and Teacher Identity in Tanzania: Education Sector Development Evidenced‐Based Practices

ABSTRACT This study sought to gain insights into how diverse contexts in which teachers interacted with, especially when the Tanzania's expansion policy was in progress shaped and reshaped their perceived professionalism. A qualitative case study was adopted to obtain a holistic overview of the phenomena under exploration. Thirty‐six participants from four newly built secondary schools in the country took part in my study. Data were gathered through document analysis, as well as semi‐structured individual and focus group interviews. Inductive analysis of data was then undertaken to understand the study topic from the participants’ perspectives and experiences. To achieve this, the transcripts were read regularly, and the segments of text were then coded to identify categories and/or broader themes. It was revealed that limited attention to the quality of teaching improvement eroded the social positioning of teachers in terms of their enthusiasm to teach, their perceptions around their teaching competencies, and their sense of trust. The study argues that devising teaching environments conducive to developing teacher professionalism before enacting educational policies is important.