(Auto)biographical narratives and teachers’ working conditions: the methodological potential for understanding everyday professional life

Abstract

This article aims to unveil the potential of teachers’ narratives in research involving their working conditions. It is based on the understanding that, beyond constituting a way of comprehending the process of teacher development and contributing to both initial and continuing education, this method is also highly relevant for studies focused on the professional daily lives of teachers. The text is developed from (auto)biographical narratives of teachers appointed through public examinations in municipal school systems in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, produced within the framework of a doctoral research project. These narratives make it possible to infer that, throughout scene two, teachers begin to report elements of their professional daily lives linked to their working conditions. Thus, the narrative device is revealed as an important methodological possibility for the development of research in the field of Geography Education, especially within the area of teacher education.

Keywords: Teacher Education. (Auto)biographical Narrative. Geography Education.