A sociological research on the construction of teachers' professional culture

This research aims to examine the dynamics that shape teachers' professional cultures in the context of classroom and school interactions. It analyzes how social and cultural dynamics affecting teachers' working conditions transform the meaning and implementation of the teaching profession. In this context, interactions within the school are addressed in terms of teachers' feelings, thoughts and action strategies. The research was structured as an ethnographic field study and was conducted within the framework of a case study approach. This method makes it possible to investigate local specificities by taking into account broad social conditions or phenomena through cases. The research was conducted in a secondary school in the Mamak district of Ankara. The participants include 14 teachers from various subjects, such as Mathematics, Science and Technology, Turkish, English, Social Studies, Religious Culture and Moral Knowledge, and Music, along with a vice principal. Additionally, a guidance counselor and a Turkish teacher working within the scope of the PIKTES project are involved in the research. During the field study, data were collected through school and classroom observations, field notes, diaries, unstructured and semi-structured individual interviews. According to the research findings, the physical structure of the school, its social environment and student profile directly affect the professional lives of teachers. The research shows that teachers' professional cultures are shaped by the strategies they develop in the face of difficulties and dead ends. As social conditions become more difficult, teachers are forced to increase control inside and outside the classroom, and their career goals are reshaped according to these difficult conditions. As observed in the school where the research was conducted, the fact that experienced teachers resort to the strategy of handing over classes they define as "difficult" or "negative" to new teachers reveals the existence of a relative hierarchy based on seniority. Social spaces such as the teachers' room stand out as areas that both foster solidarity and pave the way for "loneliness" among teachers. It is also seen that the teachers' room is closely related to what happens in the classroom. The definition of the "ideal student" holds an important place in teachers' professional cultures. As observed in the research field, teachers categorize students according to their levels of success and adaptation, and students who conform to middle-class norms are accepted, while immigrants or students with low socioeconomic backgrounds who are far from social and cultural norms are labeled as "incompatible" or "problematic". These classifications shape the positions of students within the school and the teachers' attitudes towards them. Teachers not only transfer knowledge but also try to spread moral values among students. Pedagogical and regulatory discourses combine in teachers' practices to determine moral and instructional expectations for students' behaviour. This situation shows that moral norms take precedence over knowledge transfer in teachers' professional cultures and that these norms are a priority for classroom order. The research shows that teachers develop various strategies to maintain order in the classroom and categorize students according to certain behavioural patterns.