Educational media in the construction of teacher’s professional identity: El Magisterio Balear

Abstract

During the 19th century, in parallel with the configuration of the Spanish liberal educational system, teachers became aware of the particularity of their profession, valuating their role and building their identity as professionals. Two phenomena reveal this process of internal identity construction and contribute to its development: professional associations and educational press. This paper analyses the contribution of the El Magisterio Balear (a body of the Asociación de Maestros de las Baleares, and the
most important publication of professional educational media in the islands during the late 19th century and the first third of the 20th century) to the consolidation of teachers’ professional identity. The review of articles published in El Magisterio Balear during this first period (1873-1916) shows how, on the one hand, the Association of Teachers informed members and readers about administrative issues (vacancies, transfers, regulations, social commentary and education policy, etc.), and on the other hand, publicised innovative experiences, professional vindications and innovative teaching discourses both domestically and internationally. By means of the informative function and the dissemination of educational and professional reflections, and especially by means of the spreading of scientific advances in the field of education (which also provided teaching with a basis and scientific rationality), we believe that the magazine helped to consolidate the professional identity of teachers.

Key words: professional educational media, professional identity, education, educational renewal, El Magisterio Balear.