Teacher identity: Some issues raised by the problematic nature of SOSE

Abstract

SOSE teachers’ subject content knowledge and its influence on teachers’ professional identity is an issue raised by the complex nature of SOSE. The scope of an integrated humanities curriculum such as SOSE creates questions of subject expertise and pedagogical content knowledge for middle school teachers. For example, in Queensland, SOSE is taught in the middle school by specialist secondary teachers of history or geography and generalist teachers working in middle schools. The object of this paper is to review the literature on the teaching of SOSE and identify the influence of subject knowledge on SOSE teachers’ identity. Analysis of the literature reveals that SOSE teachers’ professionalism and identity may be based on flexible notions of professionalism rather than subject specialisation.