Investigation of Effects of the Pedagogical Formation Education Certificate Program on Pre-service Teachers’ Teacher Identity

In this study, it was aimed to investigate the effects of the pedagogical formation education certificate program on teacher candidates’ perception of teacher identity. A total of 301 teacher candidates who attend a Pedagogical Formation Education Certificate Program in a state university in the western region of Turkey were randomly selected and invited to participate in the study. The data were collected by the Pre-Service Teacher Identity Scale at the beginning and end of the program. Confirmatory factor analysis is run and Cronbach alpha values are computed to test the validity and reliability of the scale. Data obtained from the sample are analyzed using repeated one-way ANOVA technique in the SPSS 21 program. Mean values of the scales show that teacher candidates have higher levels of teacher identity perceptions at the beginning of the pedagogical formation education certificate program. Repeated one-way ANOVA reveal that there is statistically significant difference between teacher candidates’ perceptions of teacher identity at the beginning and end of the program in favor of the beginning of the program. Further analysis reveals that that there is a statistically significant difference in the sub-dimension of participation as a teacher whereas no statistically significant difference is found in the self-confidence and self-categorization sub-dimensions. This study discusses that the program does not make a positive contribution to teacher identity perceptions of teacher candidates