Understanding Teacher Professional Identity Development: An Exploration of Secondary Science Teacher Beliefs and Practices Through Reflective Practice

Abstract

Teachers' beliefs about science teaching are established and nurtured through their own experiences as learners. While teacher beliefs have a significant impact on their classroom practices and provide a strong basis for their classroom actions, teachers’ sense of identity has been shown to play a key role in their understanding of their own actions (Kelchtermans, 2005). New teachers are forced to confront their professional identities on a regular basis and in multiple ways during their beginning years in the profession (Thomas & Beauchamp, 2011). A greater understanding of their own identities can assist new teachers as they face many of the challenges in their careers. This longitudinal qualitative study followed three beginning science teachers throughout a three-year induction period. The study used a framework of evolving teacher identity modified from Beauchamp and Thomas (2006) to explore the teachers’ identity development in terms of their classroom roles and responsibilities, the ways they think of and describe themselves as professionals, and their beliefs and practices about their classroom teaching and student learning. The research design employed is an exploratory multiple case study (Yin, 2014) of three teachers working in high need schools. Data were collected from multiple sources, including classroom observations, teacher interviews, and reflective journals. The findings provide insight into how beginning teachers perceived their identities based on the three themes: (a) role as a teacher; (b) teaching practice, and (c) enhancing student learning. The findings indicated that the beginning teachers’ roles had fluctuated between “authoritative” and “facilitator” over the first three years as they struggled with classroom management. In two cases, the teachers reverted to direct instruction during their first and second year, but over time they developed routines and pedagogical strategies to implement more student-centered, hands-on lessons aligned with their identity as “facilitator.” In the third case, the teacher’s practice maintained throughout the three years was primarily lecture with an occasional hands-on activity to promote student engagement, as opposed to learning. This traditional practice was aligned with his beliefs about his role as a teacher and how students learn in spite of his stated identity as a “guide.” This study informs teacher educators about the importance of reflection as they work to prepare future teachers and support in-service teachers in developing their identities and shaping their beliefs toward teaching in their classroom.