Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine in depth the teaching story and professional experiences of a teacher working in a socioeconomically disadvantaged vocational high school, with a particular focus on professional learning and development. The research adopts a narrative inquiry design within the qualitative research paradigm. The participant teacher was selected using criterion sampling, one of the purposive sampling methods, and the data were collected through a semi-structured interview form. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis tailored to the narrative research design. According to the findings, the idealistic thoughts regarding professional learning and development, which were strongly felt before starting to work at a school affected by disadvantages such as dropout, early marriage, and child labor, gave way to professional burnout, discouragement, and a sense of not being able to fully utilize one's professional potential. These disadvantages revealed the teacher’s specific professional learning and development needs and led the participant to seek training to address them. The professional development and training activities undertaken by the participant were described as dysfunctional in terms of their scheduling. The lack of additional support provided to disadvantaged schools within these practices and the disregard of practicum-based learning were found to negatively affect the teacher’s professional learning and development process. Based on the participants' experiences, the reasons for the ineffectiveness of professional learning and development practices include decision-making processes that overlook field applicability, a failure to consider the specific conditions of disadvantaged schools, and the excessive workload faced by teachers in such contexts, which limits their opportunities for continuous professional growth. This study reveals how the conditions of disadvantaged schools are reflected in teachers’ professional learning and development and offers significant implications for future education policies through its suggestions for eliminating these disadvantages.

Keywords: Disadvantaged school, Teacher learning, Teacher professional development, Narrative research, Educational administration

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How to cite

Ödemiş Keleş, N. (2026). Being a teacher in a disadvantaged school: a narrative from a professional development perspective. Education and Science, 1-27. https://doi.org/10.15390/ES.2025.2524