PRESERVICE TEACHERS’ PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT THROUGH PRESERVICE TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMME A Case Study at the Regional Teacher Training Center, Cambodia Puthika Cheab Master’s thesis:

Abstract

Aim: The current study was conducted to explore how preservice teachers construct their professional identity through their participation in the preservice teacher education programme. Theory: The study employed Kelchtermans’s (1993) Teachers’ Interpretive Framework to capture preservice teachers’ perceptions of teachers’ professional identity and Wenger’s (1998) Community of Practice to discover how they form their professional identity through membership in the community of practice of preservice teachers. Method: The study was conducted qualitatively using a case study method. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with six second-year preservice teachers. Results: The results reveal preservice teachers’ motivation to join the profession, their perceptions of roles, qualities, knowledge, skills, and career trajectories, all of which are considered the dimensions of teacher identity. Moreover, the study also discusses how preservice teachers construct their teacher identity during their training at the teacher training center. Through this research inquiry, I hope to contribute to a better understanding of Cambodian preservice teachers’ professional identity development, which could help curriculum designers, teacher educators, and relevant stakeholders not only to prepare them with teaching knowledge and skills but also to promote a strong sense of teacher identity so that they can maintain their wellbeing and fully grasp the essence of self with clear purposes, roles, and goals in their professional life.