Values as professional capital: the role of teacher identity in shaping teaching practice

Purpose This study provides empirical evidence on how values act as intangible forms of professional capital that influence teachers’ inclinations to integrate teaching practices with varied pedagogical values. With this knowledge, we employ identity grafting as a key mediating construct to identify the thinking processes that shape teaching practice based on their sensemaking of how differences in values are to be reconciled. Design/methodology/approach This study engaged 634 teachers across multiple schools. We utilized structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine both the direct and mediated impacts of cultural values on teaching practices, employing measurements that we adapted and validated in our study context of Hong Kong. Findings The results confirmed that cultural values significantly influenced teachers’ identity grafting strategies, affecting their teaching practices. Power distance strongly promoted identity reversals, which had a negative impact on teaching practices. Uncertainty avoidance and risk-taking, on the other hand, encouraged identity integration, which positively influenced the diversification of teaching practices. Originality/value This study introduces a novel perspective by exploring how values influence teachers’ abilities to transform professional capital into effective practices. However, working around values with proxy measures to promote educational change may be a less intrusive approach. Hence, we introduce identity grafting as a tool to support teachers in reconciling differences in values during educational change, recognizing that values are a change-resistant aspect of teacher identity.