Closing the gap of teacher professional identity in student teachers between coursework learning and teaching practice: perspectives from Self-determination Theory

In this longitudinal study, latent basis modelling was employed to capture nuanced developmental trajectories and examine the predictive power of perceived satisfaction of basic needs on the development of teacher professional identity in a group of student teachers (N = 266at the initial time point). The findings reveal a developmental pattern in which teacher professional identity shows positive growth during coursework learning but subsequently declines during teaching practice, highlighting an ongoing challenge in teacher preparation. Notably, perceived satisfaction of basic needs emerged as a significant predictor of this developmental pattern, with participants reporting higher needs satisfaction and maintaining positive identity development even during teaching practice. While these findings support the value of the university model in initial teacher education, they also underscore the persistent gap between coursework learning and teaching practice. The results suggest that supporting student teachers’ basic psychological needs could be key to addressing this coursework-practice divide. It is, therefore, essential to equip faculty members, teacher educators, and cooperating teachers with evidence-based strategies that support student teachers’ needs during both coursework learning and teaching practice.