From Classroom to Creator: Auto-ethnographic Reflections on Teacher Identity and Symbolic Capital in Digital Learning Spaces

Chiranjeevi Jakkani; Konatam Venkat Reddy Konatam; Sandhya Deepthi  Koppolu

doi:10.66121/egm7vf16

Authors

Chiranjeevi Jakkani Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University, Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India. https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8266-8113
K. Venkat Reddy Professor, The English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1295-290X
K. Sandhya Deepthi Degree Lecturer, Telangana Social Welfare Residential Degree College for Women, Nizamabad, Nizamabad, Telangana, India. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1466-9755

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.66121/egm7vf16

Keywords:

Auto-ethnography, Teacher identity, Digital pedagogy, Symbolic capital, YouTube education

Abstract

This paper explores how digital platforms reshape teacher identity and professional legitimacy through autoethnography. Drawing from the author’s transition from a traditional English-language classroom to YouTube-based instruction, the study examines how algorithmic milestones, learner engagement, and affective labour intersect to produce new forms of symbolic capital. Using theoretical frameworks of Ellis and Bochner (2000) on auto-ethnography, Avidov-Ungar and Forkosh-Baruch (2018) on teacher identity, and Bourdieu (1986) on symbolic capital, the paper argues that online teaching demands both pedagogical adaptation and emotional resilience. The findings reveal that legitimacy in digital pedagogy is no longer confined to institutional hierarchies but increasingly derives from recognition within participatory communities.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Chiranjeevi Jakkani, Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University, Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India.

-
K. Venkat Reddy, Professor, The English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.

-
K. Sandhya Deepthi, Degree Lecturer, Telangana Social Welfare Residential Degree College for Women, Nizamabad, Nizamabad, Telangana, India.

-

References

Abidin, C. (2016). Visibility labour: Engaging with influencers’ fashion brands and #OOTD advertorial campaigns on Instagram. Media International Australia, 161(1), 86–100. https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878X16665177

Avidov-Ungar, O., & Forkosh-Baruch, A. (2018). Professional identity of teacher educators in the digital era in light of demands of pedagogical innovation. Teaching and Teacher Education, 73, 183–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.03.017

Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). Greenwood.

Bucher, T. (2018). If… then: Algorithmic power and politics. Oxford University Press.

Chang, H. (2008). Autoethnography as method. Routledge.

Ellis, C., & Bochner, A.P. (2000). Autoethnography, personal narrative, reflexivity. In N.K. Denzin & Y.S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (2nd ed., pp. 733–768). Sage.

Papacharissi, Z. (2015). Affective publics: Sentiment, technology, and politics. Oxford University Press.

Rus, C.L., Bucur, N.F., & Chiriac, D. (2020). The role of digital storytelling in the development of teachers’ professional identity. Journal of Educational Sciences, 21(1), 57–66. https://doi.org/10.35923/JES.2020.1.05

Uştuk, Ö. (2025). Exploring teacher identity through autoethnography: A reflexive account. Teaching and Teacher Education, 132, 104237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2025.104237

Vizcaíno-Verdú, A., & Abidin, C. (2023). The multiple selves of online educators: Professional and personal identity construction on social media. Learning, Media and Technology, 48(2), 197–213. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2022.2163089