Pre-service and beginning teachers’ professional identity and its relation to dropping out of the profession.Authors:Hong, Ji Y.∗.Affiliation:University of Oklahoma, Department of Educational Psychology, Collings Hall Room 305, 820 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, OK 73019-2041, USA.Source:In Teaching and Teacher Education 2010 26(8):1530-1543.Publisher:Elsevier Ltd.Abstract:This study explores different perceptions of pre-service and beginning teachers’ professional identity in relation to their decisions to leave the profession. Teachers’ professional identity was further broken down into six factors: value, efficacy, commitment, emotions, knowledge and beliefs, and micropolitics. This study employed mixed-methods which included 84 participant surveys, and 27 interviews from four groups of participants at different stages of teaching. The findings of this study showed that pre-service teachers tended to have naïve and idealistic perceptions of teaching, and dropout teachers showed most emotional burnout. Implications for improvement of teacher education and retention of beginning teachers are discussed..Document Type:Article.ISSN:0742-051X.DOI:10.1016/j.tate.2010.06.003.Accession Number:S0742051X10000831.Copyright:Published by Elsevier Ltd.Database: ScienceDirect.