The Social and Emotional Issues of Teacher's Professional Identity Development

Introduction

Identity is approached from a socio-cultural point of view, which holds that teachers do not develop their identity alone and in a ‘vacuum,’ but rather in a context that brings social and cultural forces to allow that development (Holland & Lachicotte, 2007). Teachers develop and dynamically maintain their identity in relation to the ‘collective regard’ that others have for their role (Holland & Lachicotte, 2007). Teacher identity development is a process that may involve periods of exploration, uncertainty, and conflict, eventuating in some incorporation of personal identity with professional identity (Meijer, 2011).

Teachers’ professional identity is an important factor in understanding their professional lives and career decision making. Teachers’ professional identity may affect their motivation, effectiveness and most importantly, their 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.

Social and emotional learning (SEL) commonly refers to a process through which people acquire and effectively apply knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions (Weissberg, Durlak, Domitrovich, & Gullotta, 2015). SEL has been studied to understand the impact and influences the SEL efforts have on academic, social, and emotional competence development of adults.

School climate plays a critical role in teacher social and emotional development. Being a part of a culture shapes how the teachers fit in and what their roles may be. Working with other educators and building positive working relationships empowers teachers. Having mentors, strong student relationships, and a supportive administration has proven to be key components to teacher well-being. Administrators that include teachers in decision making and foster a positive school culture are more likely to retain teachers at their schools because the teachers feel appreciated and included.

SEC is the capacity to coordinate cognition, affect, and behavior that allows individuals to thrive in diverse cultures and contexts and achieve specific tasks and positive developmental outcomes. CASEL identified five core SEC clusters: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making (CASEL, 2013, 2015; Weissberg et al., 2015). The CASEL 5 emphasize intrapersonal skills and attitudes (i.e., self-awareness and self-management), interpersonal skills and attitudes (i.e., social awareness and relationship skills), and making ethical and principled choices in personal and social situations (i.e., responsible decision making) (Mahoney, Weissberg, Greenberg, Dusenbury, Jagers, Niemi, Schlinger, Schlund, Shriver, VanAusdal, & Yoder, 2020).

Current research studies do not demonstrate the extent to which teacher identity development shapes teachers and their practice and can be transferred to social and emotional wellness. Teacher identity development is a complex and individualized process. The purpose of this chapter is to contribute to the body of knowledge identifying how teachers’ social and emotional wellness contribute to their professional identity development and the desire to remain in the teaching profession.