The Role of Expertise in Relation to Professional Teacher Identity: A Study Amid Emergency Remote Teaching in the Netherlands

Abstract

This study sampled Dutch secondary education teachers to investigate the relationship between their level of expertise and sense of professional teacher identity amid emergency remote teaching. Besides, the aim was to advance theory by investigating two variables crucial to professional teacher identity, namely self-image and emotions. This study employed a mixed-method design, respectively involving an online-questionnaire (N = 81) and interviews (N = 5). The questionnaire comprised a previously validated scale for each domain of professional teacher identity, resulting in a total of 55 items. Through analysis of variance, mean differences between novice and expert teachers were detected based on each domain of professional teacher identity. To elucidate these relationships, the moderator variables age and teacher-tracking were added. Statistically significant main effects revealed differences between novice and expert teachers on the domains of self-efficacy, motivation, self-image, and emotions. Moreover, statistically significant interaction effects revealed age moderated the relationship between expertise and self-efficacy, while teacher-tracking moderated the relationship between expertise and occupational commitment. The results imply further support is required from school administrators and policymakers, in particular for early-career teachers who struggle shaping a professional teacher identity amid emergency remote teaching.