Teacher Identity Development: A Formative Approach to Pre-service Teachers’ Dispositional Development

Oct 15, 2026

As teacher shortages rise across the United States, educator preparation programs must prepare candidates not only in subject knowledge and pedagogy, but also in professionally oriented dispositional qualities required by accreditation standards. This qualitative study gathers perspectives from teachers, administrators, clinical supervisors, and education faculty to identify what pre-service teachers need to succeed. Data from 30 participants via an open-ended survey and five via focus group reveals three themes—professionalism, relationships, and learning—used to build a Teacher Identity Development tool.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages34

Reading Time1 h 26 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Teacher Dispositions and the Need for Early Development

Disposition defined and why it matters in teacher education

Accreditation requirements shaping program expectations

Challenges in Dispositional Development and Assessment

Interpretations and validity of assessing dispositions

Teacher Identity Development: A Formative Approach to Pre-service Teachers’ Dispositional Development Tiffany T . Young Trina Pettit Linda M . Kalbach Rod Diercks Lisa McClurkin Vargason Doane University Abstract As teacher shortages increase across the United States, educator preparation programs are tasked with preparing a new generation of teachers equipped to succeed in an increasingly challenging landscape. Along with ensuring that candidates develop deep content knowledge and effective pedagogical skills, national accreditation bodies also require educator preparation programs to monitor and support pre-service teachers’dispositional development. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand teachers, administrators, clinical experience supervisors, and education faculty members’ perspectives of the dispositional qualities that pre-service teachers need to develop to be successful educators. Our goal was first to gain an understanding and then to use it to develop a tool to teach and evaluate the dispositional characteristics pre-service teachers need to successfully transition into their teaching careers. We collected data from 30 participants via an open-ended survey and a subsequent focus group of five participants. Using open and focused coding followed by code mapping, three themes emerged including a commitment to (1) professionalism,(2) relationships, and (3) learning. We used these three themes and their 12 subthemes, along with feedback from our participants, to create a Teacher Identity Development tool. With specific indicators of each disposition, this tool can be used by educator preparation programs not only to monitor and assess pre-service teachers’ discrete dispositional skill development but, more AILACTE Journal 75 Young, Pettit, Kalbach, Diercks, and Vargason importantly, to facilitate the development of a teacher identity as candidates journey toward becoming effective educators in our current educational landscape. Keywords: dispositions, pre-service teacher development, teacher preparation, teacher identity development 76 AILACTE Volume XIX 2022 Teacher Identity Development: A Formative Approach Teacher Identity Development: A Formative Approach to Pre-service Teachers’ Dispositional Development What makes a good teacher? Few would argue that good teachers have strong instructional skills and a passion for their content matched by depth of knowledge. Yet, the best teachers—the most impactful—arguably have something more, something less tangible. They seem to have a human capacity that supports and yet transcends instructional skill and content knowledge, giving them a heightened ability to succeed ina complicated and often conflicted institution. This capacity, or disposition, reflects specific values and beliefs that guide decisions and behavior; it is crucial to teacher development (Ellis et al., 2009). Dispositional development is complex and develops throughout the career of the educator as new experiences are encountered (Beijaard & Meijer, 2017). Consequently, it is an issue that needs to be raised early and consistently in educator preparation programs (EPPs) as a key piece of professional development. There is now greater urgency on the topic as school districts across the country replace scores of veteran teachers with new hires, some of whom will have yet to complete their educational preparation and therefore will have not yet solidified a thorough awareness of their own dispositional qualities. While pre-service teachers are working to develop their dispositional qualities, EPPs and education scholars are grappling with the particulars of disposition (e.g. Casey et al., 2021; Ellis et al., 2009; Truscott & Stenhouse, 2022; West et al., 2018). What makes up teacher dispositions and how can their development be evaluated? Better yet, what does the word“disposition” even mean and when did it take such importance in teacher education? Since the term d

FAQs

What problem does the study address in educator preparation programs?

The study addresses how preparation programs must help candidates develop dispositions early and consistently while accreditation bodies require monitoring and support for pre-service teachers’ dispositional development.

How was the qualitative study conducted?

Researchers collected data from 30 participants through an open-ended survey and followed with a focus group of five participants, then used open and focused coding with code mapping.

What themes emerged from the data and how were they used?

Three themes emerged: commitment to professionalism, relationships, and learning. The researchers used these themes and 12 subthemes, along with participant feedback, to create a Teacher Identity Development tool with specific indicators for each disposition.

Oct 15, 2026

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