Profiles of professional identity among student teachers about to enter the teaching profession

This study focuses on student teacher identity in a teacher education program with a pronounced thematic focus. Student teacher identity is displayed in final-year student teachers’ written narrative reflections. The qualitative study applying an abductive approach identifies Finnish student teachers’ (N = 42) identity profiles expressing different levels of perceived professional identity. Five identity profiles were revealed, of which one distinct identity profile, The Mission-oriented, had not been uncovered in earlier research. Four student teacher identity profiles were identified based on earlier research: The Identity-seekers, The Self-efficacious, The Experienced realists and The Doubtful. The results also showed the thematic focus of the teacher education in the student teachers’ descriptions of their teacher identity. This was identified by studying expressions of the role of diversity, multilingualism and social justice in the student teachers’ accounts of their professional identity, as these are thematic areas cutting through the entire teacher education track.