Essay On Professional Identity

5.1 Indicators of professional identity

The identity development of a person is rooted both in the personal and the professional. The professional identity is a complex construct that can change and is influenced by the personal and the social environment that an individual exist in, thus it can be described as both individual and social.

According to Kelchtermans (2009), a teachers’ professional identity is shaped by their interaction with their social environment which supports the social identity theory. Kogan (2000) also suggests that an individual will categorise themselves and become a member of the communities and institutions in which they function. Each of these communities or institutions possess their own characteristics with regards

MacLure (1993) cited in (Day et al, 2006) states that one should focus on the social categories that teachers choose to explain the ‘self’ and how they use these social categories to assist them in the construction of their professional identity. MacLure (1993) found in her study that the teachers “appeared to be more varied in their senses of themselves, much less secure in their identities as teachers, and less committed to teaching as a

Kelchtermans (1993) suggests that the professional ‘self’ is not stagnant, but evolves over time and consists of five interrelated parts namely:

• “Self-image: how teachers describe themselves though their career stories;

• Self-esteem: the evolution of self as a teacher, how good they are or otherwise defined by self or others;

• Job-motivation: what makes teachers choose, remain committed to or leave the