Initial teacher education and the development of teacher identity

Abstract

Teacher identity is recognized as an important factor in teacher quality. Research indicates that teacher identity influences teachers’ resilience, efficacy, motivation, commitment, and job satisfaction (Day 2018). However, widespread interest in the field of teacher identity has also revealed the importance of developing teacher identity prior to entry into the teaching profession. Pre-service teachers who develop teacher identity during their teacher preparation program actively strengthen their pedagogical content knowledge, develop an early understanding of the teachers roles and responsibilities, build positive relationships with students and colleagues, and are motivated to enhance their teaching practice (Cobb et al. 2018; Harlow and Cobb 2014). Furthermore, teacher identity is also believed to be a key factor in supporting pre-service teachers’ transition into the teaching profession. Given these benefits, the past decade has seen an explosion of interest in understanding identity development, particularly in pre-service teachers. This entry explores how teacher identity is developed in pre-service teachers and considers the role that Initial Teacher Education (ITE) plays in supporting this identity development.