Construction of the professional identity of the future secondary school teacher

Abstract

The professional entity is used commonly as a resource that possesses different dimensions that constitute the structure and entity of the future teacher. This research studies two main factors of the construction future teacher structure and entity: The student s profile (skills and areas of interest) and the initial training features. These are a part of an Educational Master degree adequate to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) standards. Nevertheless this area is not free of negative points. The methodology was based on a joint approach of qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques: multiple case studies (3 Andalusia Universities) from which the authors elected a sample of 399 Master students (Master s degree for Secondary School Teachers, Baccalaureate, Vocational Training and Language Teaching). To collect data a questionnaire and 6 focus groups were used. The data was analyzed with software: SPSS and Maxqda respectively. An Exploratory Factor Analysis, completed with qualitative data, allow to achieve the presence of 3 main factors to join teacher career: personal qualities, the quality of initial training and an interest on teaching career. These 3 factors shed some light on the construction of the future teacher structure and entity as a professional. These factors will build resilience on educational pathway and initial training should focus on the actual education needs.