Learning to Live Well as Teachers in a Changing World: Insights Into Developing a Professional Identity in Teacher Education

Abstract

Developing a strong sense of a professional identity as a teacher may be crucial to the well-being of new members of the profession. This article describes the initial results of a research project examining the development of professional identity in new teachers undertaken with recent graduates from teacher education programmes in two universities in Quebec. Twenty-one volunteers were interviewed after graduation and before beginning their first jobs about their image of themselves as professionals and their projections of a future identity in relation to a vision of an ideal teacher. Analysis of these interviews reveals that new teachers are tentative in their declarations about their professional identity and uncertain as to how they will reach their ideals. The results of the study provide insights into the increasing importance of the exploration and development of professional identity within teacher education programmes.