A Comparative Qualitative Analysis of Teachers’ Professional Identity in Malaysia and Bangladesh: Implications for Educational Reforms and Development

The interplay between teachers’ professional identities and their contextual factors in Malaysia and Bangladesh were compared in the study. The study employed the use of a qualitative approach through structured interviews and discussion with novice teachers in the two regions in Asia. A purposive sampling procedure was used in the selection of schools and teachers to be interviewed. The uniqueness of schools selected was of paramount important as selection was purposively done to private, public and semi-private schools from where novice teachers with less than three (3) years experiences were selected. Novice teachers of different cultural backgrounds in the selected schools within each of Malaysia and Bangladesh context were used in the study. Analysis and findings obtained from interviews and discussion with novice teachers on their identities based on the sub-identities and contextual factors of personal, school, challenge, language, training, and teachers’ status revealed that the professional identities of teachers in both countries were not too different from each other. Findings revealed that Malaysia and Bangladesh teachers go into the teaching profession because they feel it is a noble profession as well as derive fulfillment and satisfaction therein even though to some, teaching was due to economic pressure. Besides, finding also revealed among others that the negative school context perspective of teachers as well as their training development and teachers’ status occasioned by low salary level destabilizes teachers’ identity in Malaysia and Bangladesh in like manner. Implications, conclusion and recommendations such as provision of improved working condition totally void of excess workloads, salary and training, other associated social benefits as enhancement to teachers’ status and image in Malaysia and Bangladesh for repositioning teacher identity within the various context were made.