What is Identity Development

Teacher professional identity is an important factor in understanding professional lives and career decision making. Teacher professional identity may affect motivation, effectiveness, and most importantly, social and emotional well-being. Teacher identity lacks clarity with regards to a definition. This could contribute to the reason that it has not been studied as a key element for teacher social and emotional wellness during professional identity development. The process of how teachers view themselves as teachers and how their developing professional identity is shaped by their personal identity development and social identity connections has implications on their careers.