The Future of Education

In recent years, teaching identity has emerged as a growing research area in science education, considering its impact on students’ performance [1]. This study explores the interrelationships between teacher identity construction, inquiry orientation, and emotional experiences of Physics and Chemistry preservice teachers during their initial teacher education [2], [3]. We performed a multidimensional analysis using a case-study approach and validated instruments, such as the pre-service teachers’ IBSE perception (PTIT) questionnaire for inquiry perception [4] and the Professional Practice and Inquiry (PPI) questionnaire for identity perception [5]. Results revealed that pre-service teachers generally recognised the value of inquiry-based approaches for students, experienced predominantly positive emotions during training, and had difficulty in establishing past-present connections, likely due to limited teaching experience. The study found that high teaching identity scores on the PPI questionnaire did not necessarily correlate with inquiry orientation. At the same time, positive emotions were observed across different profiles, suggesting that becoming a science teacher follows individualized pathways. Consequently, this research highlights the importance of integrating identity, inquiry, and emotions into teacher education programs and of designing personalised approaches to support diverse developmental trajectories while maintaining high professional standards.

Keywords: Pre-service teachers, teacher identity, inquiry-based science education, emotions 

REFERENCES

[1] Feser, M. S., y Haak, I., “Key features of teacher identity: a systematic meta-review study with special focus on teachers of science or science-related subjects”. Studies in Science Education, 2022, 59(2), 287-320. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057267.2022.2108644

[2] Bryce, N., Wilmes, S. E. D., and Bellino, M., “Inquiry identity and science teacher professional development”. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 2016, 11(2), 235–251. https://doi.org/10.1007/ s11422-015-9725-1 

[3] Zembylas, M., and Chubbuck, S. M., “The intersection of identity, beliefs, and politics in conceptualizing teacher identity”. In H. Fives, and M. G. Gill (eds.), International handbook of research on teachers’ beliefs, 2015, 173–190. Routledge.

[4] Luque-Jiménez, J., García-Ruiz, C., Lupión-Cobos, T., and Blanco-López, Á., “Design and validation of the scales of a Spanish-adapted questionnaire to measure pre-service teachers' perceptions about inquiry-based science education”. International Journal of Science Education, 2024, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2024.2381838

[5] Chua, B. L., Liu, W. C., and Chia, S. S. Y., “Teacher identity, Professional Practice, and Inquiry (PPI) in teacher education”. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 2018, 38(4), 550–564. https://doi.org/1 0.1080/02188791.2018.1536602