The Development of Preservice Mathematics Teachers' Professional Identities During a Practice-based Course
Keywords:
mixed-methods research, practice-based course, preservice teacher, professional identity, teacher educationAbstract
Teacher education is expected to be a setting to develop preservice teachers' professional identities before they enter the teaching profession. However, research has shown that such development seldom occurs during teacher preparation. How to effectively do so thus requires further research. Given a newly revisited tendency toward practice-based teacher education, this mixed-method study examines the extent to which and how a practice-based course strengthens the professional identities of preservice teachers. Participants were preservice teachers (10 male, 20 female) majoring in mathematics in a double-degree teacher education program in Thailand. A Likert-type scale quantitatively measured three components (i.e., motivation, self-image, self-efficacy) as the proxies of participants' professional identities at the outset and conclusion of the course. Moreover, an open-ended questionnaire was used to collect qualitative data. Statistical analysis indicates that participants significantly imagined themselves more clearly as mathematics teachers and were more confident in their ability to teach mathematics. Nonetheless, they were not significantly more motivated to become mathematics teachers. Content analysis suggests that lesson design and teaching rehearsals within the course were attributed as beneficial experiences. These results support a stronger emphasis on practice-based teacher education for cultivating preservice teachers' professional identities.
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