An ethico-political analysis of a national  teacher competence framework: unravelling a  ‘preferred’ teacher identity

In recent years, as evidenced in the transnational proliferation of codified competence frameworks for teacher  education purposes, we have seen the increased politicisation and regulation of the task of teaching and  what it means to be a teacher. Making the case for  an ethico-political conceptualisation of teacher identity and, using a Foucauldian-based framework of  ethico-political identity, we apply a discourse analysis  approach to unravel a ‘preferred’ teacher identity construction using Ireland's national teacher competence  framework, the Initial Teacher Education Criteria and  Guidelines for Programme Providers as an illustrative case. Findings illuminate this identity as: (i) telos  vis-à-vis embodying national objectives via critical engagement underpinned by knowledge surfaces and a  temporal appreciation of policy; (ii) ethical substance  vis-à-vis seven modes of engagement animated in two  interdependent phases with unique practice dynamics  and policy emphases; (iii) discursive authority sources  that utilise three major modes of sense-making; and  (iv) self-practices as confessional dialogue and self-writing. Considering codified teacher competence  frameworks as politics of truth in teacher education,  we make the case for macro ethico-political identity  work as a valuable analytical tool for policy analysis in  teaching and teacher education.