Emergence of professional identity for the pre-service teacher

This article highlights the potential influence of reflective writing upon the emergence of a professional identity during pre-service teachers ’ practicum placements. Links between reflective writing and identity formation were made during a project which required pre-service teachers to reflect upon their responses to, and observations of, a number of broad elements of the teaching environment both within the classroom and in the wider school context. The author reports on this small study involving teacher education students at Flinders University in South Australia and makes recommendations which could enhance the value of reflective writing as a personal and professional development tool. Professional identity, teacher education, practicum, reflective writing, pre-service teache