Local teachers’ career experiences in international schools: A currere study from Côte d’Ivoire

Abstract

This phenomenological study explores the career experiences of 12 local Ivorian teachers working in international schools in Côte d’Ivoire through Pinar’s currere methodology. Drawing on in-depth interviews analyzed across four temporal dimensions—regressive, progressive, analytical, and synthetical—the research investigates how local teachers navigate complex institutional dynamics while constructing professional identities within international education contexts. Findings reveal systematic barriers including credential devaluation, salary inequities, and exclusion from leadership opportunities that reflect colonial legacies and hegemonic structures. Despite these challenges, participants developed various strategic responses, including contextual behavior adaptation, selective information sharing, and collective organizing. The study documents internal transformations where teachers redefined success around student-centered outcomes rather than hierarchical advancement, while simultaneously engaging in external transformation efforts through community-school bridge building and policy advocacy. The findings suggest that local teachers function as agents of institutional change rather than passive recipients of inequitable practices. The research contributes to international education literature by centering marginalized voices and demonstrating how currere methodology enables understanding of professional identity construction as an ongoing temporal negotiation between individual agency and structural constraints. The study provides insights for policy reforms in hiring practices, compensation structures, and recognition systems to better support equity in international education contexts.

Keywords

References

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