Abstract
D.Ed.
This study originated from a need for an improved understanding of the legal academic as teacher. It is an ethnographic exploration of the culture of the legal academic as teacher. To this end, the aim was to create an image of the very essence of how legal academics create and live their lives as teachers.
In exploring the culture of the legal academic as teacher, I drew on various theoretical concepts in literature. The four primary concepts framing this study theoretically are culture, identity, the teacher and the law domain.
I conducted studies of three law teachers at a South African university through observation during class visitation, discussion about teaching in interview sessions and review of teaching related documents. In analysing the data a thematic pattern, constituting the findings emerged. From three categories namely students, self and discipline, and sub-categories, themes emerged. Based on the category of student with sub-category of care and support of students, the theme of supportive relationship with students emerged; the focus being on participants as law teachers’ attitudes and behaviour in as far as relationships with students are concerned. From the category of the self and sub-categories of seeking feedback and recognition, dedication and enjoyment materialised the theme of participants’ primary identity as teacher. From the category of discipline and the sub-categories of being a subject specialist, what participants teach and how they teach as well as the “universal” language of law the theme of social identity as teacher and the law teacher as subject specialist emerged.
In line with the ethnographic design type of the study findings were organised according to two topics harmonious to cultural ethnographic writing namely the topic of social organisation of culture and the topic of ideational organisation of culture. Since the topic, social organisation of culture is concerned with social behaviour and the way that individuals organise themselves into interacting social systems, participants’ interaction with students and the way they mediate a sense of self within the social systems within which they function relates to the topic of social organisation.
Findings suggest that participants share dimensions of their teaching role with academics in general and even teachers in general. These common dimensions mainly relate to the
way that participants experience the self as teacher and the supportive relationships they forge with their students. One could therefore argue that features related to the sense of selfhood and relationship with students form part of a culture of academics at a macro level. Notwithstanding, both these components are integral to the teaching identities of the legal academics that participated in this study. From the perspective of participants’ sense of self, their identities as teachers have at its core a sense of choice. Not only do participants choose to be law teachers but also they demonstrate passion, take pride in teaching and constantly measure their success in order to ensure they live up to their own and their students’ expectations. In contrast to their individual selves, touched on above where identity is driven by self-interest in their relationship with students, participants were found to be sensitive and caring in their dealings with students.