“I am a Scientist and I am a Science Teacher!”: Negotiating Shifts in Professional Identity

ABSTRACT Pre‐service teachers often have limited opportunities to develop and reflect upon both their scientist and science teacher identities, and the relationships between them, likely limiting how they draw upon these different but complementary role identities in their teaching practice. This illustrative case study explores how a summer research experience program for pre‐service teachers could fill this gap. We analyzed key moment excerpts (sentences and paragraphs) from qualitative data sources (journal entries, interview transcripts, written reflections) collected throughout the program to understand how a pre‐service biology teacher navigated shifts in her scientist and science teacher role identities and ways the summer program influenced these shifts. Findings indicate that authentic science research experiences embedded within initial teacher education programs have the potential to be an ideal space for this sort of integral identity work. Results indicate how the summer program promoted identity shifts through three crucial elements: providing authentic opportunities that bridged the two fields of science and science education, facilitating personal interactions with people within and across the two fields, and offering regular, meaningful, and varied intrapersonal and interpersonal reflection opportunities. Overall, the study suggests that the goal of teacher research experiences, which have traditionally focused on knowledge and skill development, be broadened to consider identity development as a valuable and necessary goal and outcome.