Middle-Level Teacher Development and Identity: A Review of the Literature

P. Gayle Andrews; Alyson Leigh Wright

doi:10.3390/educsci14111207

journal article Open Access Nov 02, 2024

Middle-Level Teacher Development and Identity: A Review of the Literature

P. Gayle Andrews Alyson Leigh Wright

Education Sciences Vol. 14 No. 11 pp. 1207 · MDPI AG

View at Publisher Save 10.3390/educsci14111207

Abstract

Historically, the field of middle-level education has taken it as a given that teachers of young adolescents should be specially prepared to teach in the middle grades, developing a teacher identity that centers around responding to and advocating for the age group above an identity as a subject area teacher. Defined broadly as teachers’ dynamic conceptualizations of themselves as educators and their related roles, decisions, and actions, teacher professional identity has garnered considerable attention in the research literature as a potential source of leverage in multiple dimensions of schooling, preservice teacher education and in-service teachers’ professional learning, and teachers’ professional lives. Teacher identity at the middle level is ideally grounded in a deep commitment to helping young adolescents realize their power and possibilities. While the literature on teacher identity development is well-established in some educational contexts, studies specifically examining the potentially unique developmental trajectory of teacher identity among middle-level educators remain limited. To address this gap, we conducted a review of the literature to address the question: what does the research say about middle-level teacher development and identity? Our review identified 26 relevant sources on middle-level teacher development and identity, published from 2015 through the first half of 2024, and yielded key ideas within three themes: (a) the development of teacher identity, (b) the intersectionality of teacher identity, and (c) critical consciousness, agency, and teacher identity. This review identifies both progress and gaps in the current literature, recognizes potential future directions for research on middle-level teacher identity, and offers possible implications for preservice and in-service middle-level teacher education.

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Published: Nov 02, 2024
Vol/Issue: 14(11)
Pages: 1207
License: View

Authors

P

P. Gayle Andrews

Department of Educational Theory and Practice, Mary Frances Early College of Education, University of Georgia, 110 Carlton Street, Athens, GA 30602, USA

A

Alyson Leigh Wright

Department of Educational Theory and Practice, Mary Frances Early College of Education, University of Georgia, 110 Carlton Street, Athens, GA 30602, USA

Cite This Article

P. Gayle Andrews, Alyson Leigh Wright (2024). Middle-Level Teacher Development and Identity: A Review of the Literature. Education Sciences, 14(11), 1207. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14111207

Middle-Level Teacher Development and Identity: A Review of the Literature

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