Journal of Global Research in Education and Social Science

Those who enter a teacher education program typically do not come with an identity as a teacher [1]. The development of such an identity begins to take shape during their pre-service education. During this time, this pre-teacher identity [2] becomes the foundation upon which a professional teacher identity is built. Based on their images of teachers, their initial beliefs about teaching and their implicit theories of teaching and learning, a professional identity is refined and developed [3].
This paper explores some of the many issues associated with the formation of one’s professional identity as a teacher. We believe that professional identity emerges from the self-identity of prospective teachers undertaking a teacher education program. The journey is one of interactions between the existing individual dispositions and personal characteristics that form the individual’s personality along with the challenges and opportunities provided for development by the coursework, the peer group, mentors and significant others that are involved in a teacher education program. Participation in school placements is a vital testing ground for the emergent identity.
In this paper we review our own research and that of others into neglected aspects of teacher personality such as psychological type, self-concept, learning style, multiple intelligences, temperament, self-efficacy, engagement, emotional intelligence and interaction style. We discuss how these characteristics may influence a teacher’s learning and work and thus how they affect the development of a teacher’s professional identity. We detail some common professional identity tensions and show how the metaphors beginning teachers use may indicate their understanding of their development of professional identity.