Conference Agenda

Contemporary educational environments are characterized by rapid transformation and crisis conditions that challenge the stability of educators’ professional identity. These challenges are especially evident in contexts of social disruption such as the current transformations affecting the Ukrainian educational system. In such contexts, educators are required not only to adapt to institutional changes but also to reconsider the meanings and values that shape their professional roles.

This paper examines the development of educators’ professional identity from the perspective of dialogical self theory and proposes the concept of dialogical self-authorship as a psychological mechanism underlying this process. To the author’s knowledge, the concept of dialogical self-authorship has not yet been systematically conceptualized in studies of educators’ professional identity.

The dialogical self is understood as a dynamic multiplicity of relatively autonomous I-positions that interact within an internal dialogical space. In professional contexts, these positions may represent different roles, expectations, and value orientations related to educational practice.

Dialogical self-authorship is defined as the process through which educators construct an authorial professional stance by reflexively integrating multiple professional I-positions. This process begins with the recognition of contradictions within professional experience and develops through internal dialogue and reflective reinterpretation of professional meanings.

The paper presents a conceptual model of dialogical self-authorship that includes four components: problem-actualization, dialogical-reflective interaction of I-positions, integrative meaning construction, and authorial professional positioning. Through these processes educators develop the capacity to interpret professional challenges and construct a coherent professional position. The emergence of a reflective meta-position enables educators to coordinate multiple I-positions and assume an authorial stance toward their professional development.

The study also proposes criteria for assessing dialogical self-authorship, including reflective awareness, dialogical positioning, integration of professional meanings, professional self-efficacy, and readiness for professional development.