Using autobiographical comics to explore life stories and school experiences of pre-service early childhood educators

Exploring one’s life-history in order to unearth how one’s past influences current conceptions of teaching is commonly employed in teacher education. Recognising the constructed and situated nature of autobiographical memory, this study examines autobiographical comics completed by pre-service early childhood educators as part of the first year of pre-service programme in Spain. Analysing the completed comics through the lens of autobiographical memory, the study found that the comics presented common general events and lifetime periods and drew on archetypal images of teaching and schools to represent their educational past. The study also found that the pre-service students drew on a common life script representing an uncomplicated journey towards educational success. The article highlights the beliefs and assumptions that are revealed in their analysis and how teacher educators can use such resources to interrogate the social and cultural norms of the pre-service educators.