Teacher identity: can ethical orientation be related to perceived competence, psychological needs satisfaction, commitment and global self-esteem?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Teachers’ sense of identity is influenced by a set of factors, remaining unclear how they relate to each other and how much weight is assigned to them by teachers. Based on the existing literature and empirical data concerning teacher identity and ethical frameworks, this study tested a model aiming to understand how indicators of teacher identity (e.g. ethical orientation, perceived competence, satisfaction of psychological needs, commitment, and global self-esteem) relate to each other. The model was tested through structural equation modelling (SEM) using data from 643 Portuguese teachers, aged between 23 and 66 years (M years of service = 15.4). Results showed that ethical orientation can play an important role in teacher identity, having direct and indirect effects on the other components of the model. The findings highlight the importance of ethical orientation as a variable to take into consideration in the study of teacher identity and teacher training.