Abstract
Abstract This study is aimed at understanding the identity formation of pre-service science teachers (PST s) who are transitioning from students to teachers and from science/engineering majors to education majors. This was done using the conceptual lens of identity within a specific socio-cultural context. The participants were three undergraduate students in their mid- to late twenties who had transferred to science education from natural science or engineering majors. Collection of data included in-depth interviews, story timelines, e-mail surveys, and participant drawings. The study revealed that the PST s’ identity formation was not one common universal process; rather, each person’s experiences were individually affected positively or negatively by their life history. Although the three PST s came from very similar social backgrounds in Korea, their identity formation was categorized into three different types: determined effort, critical exploration, and continuous confusion. This research shows that the life history model of PST s’ identity formation can be based on the individual and practical support to reduce the gap between the actual self and future self within science education.
Highlights
It is essential in teacher education to understand the complicated learning processes of pre-service teachers who are undergoing gradual transition from students to teachers (Armstrong, 2004; Atkinson, 2004) and developing a personal and professional identity
A comparison of the three types of PSTs indicates that the higher the coherence among the elements of the personal identity and its relationship with critical events, the more improvement there is in participation in the community of practice (CoP), which leads to further improvement in professional identity
The more opportunities the pre-service science teachers (PST s) had with meaningful negotiations within the components of the CoP, the less likely their identity formations fluctuated in the college of education
Summary
It is essential in teacher education to understand the complicated learning processes of pre-service teachers who are undergoing gradual transition from students to teachers (Armstrong, 2004; Atkinson, 2004) and developing a personal and professional identity. Identity development can be characterized as an ongoing process: “a certain kind of person one is recognized as being, at a given time and place and can change from moment to moment in the interaction” Researchers’ awareness of the professional identity of teachers has increased remarkably since the 1990s, becoming a unique discipline during the last decade (e.g., Bullough, 1997; Connelly & Clandinin, 1999; Knowles, 1992). Pittard (2003) emphasized that identity development plays a central role in becoming a science teacher. Many educators believe that learning is not a mere accumulation of knowledge but a process of becoming a certain kind of person operating within a specific socio-cultural context (Lave & Wenger, 1991)
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