The Impact of Curriculum Changes and Covid 19 Amendments on History Teachers' Professional Identity

The paper examined the impacts of education transformation and curriculum changes and amendments that were brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic on teachers and their professional identity. The paper uses the constructivist theory, which states how history teachers construct knowledge and make meaning, and how this meaning influenced their professional identity. The qualitative research design was employed, and face to face interviews, document analysis, and observations were used to collect data and examined how four Grades 10-12 History teachers administered lessons or coped during this pandemic in the classroom. Content analysis and thematic analysis were used to analyze data. The findings of the paper indicated that the adjusted and modified Covid-19 regulations impacted history teachers’ professional identity and teaching negatively. Amongst others, the following major findings emerged: the changes and amendments in curriculum were confusing to teachers; the classroom demotivated history teachers; and teachers had an unstable and shifting identity. Considering the findings, the study argues that constant curriculum modification or revision creates confusion in the classroom. Hence the recommendation that teachers should be considered when curriculum is changed or modified.