The good teacher's odyssey

The manifestation of the good teacher is a contested discourse within international teacher education. The construct of good teacher emerges from research into teacher education and focuses on teacher quality and effectiveness. While there is significant policy work internationally about the performativity and effectiveness of teachers' practice, there is limited research into the formation of a good teacher using a reflexive methodology. This paper reports on case studies of three Australian schools that comprise qualitative semi-structured interviews with ten beginning teachers. This study uses the construct of “a good teacher” to assess the contextual and professional factors that create good teaching. These case studies have been textually analysed for themes that inform the transition to teaching and ongoing construction of professional identity. The barriers and enablers to the development of good teaching are explored in this paper using Mockler's epistemological framework that recognizes socio-cultural, personal and professional factors in the construction of good teaching. The study reveals the complexity of factors that influence the creation of a good teacher.