Mapping future selves in language teacher education: a case study of identity development during practicum

This study explores the professional identity development of pre-service English teachers through Possible Selves Theory (PST). It examines how they envision their ideal and feared selves while they are reflecting on their current selves during their practicum experience. Despite growing interest in PST in teacher education, previous research has largely relied on cross-sectional designs and has paid limited attention to how pre-service EFL teachers’ current, ideal, and feared selves evolve during the practicum, a critical period of professional identity formation.

Using a phenomenological qualitative design, the researchers followed six final-year students of an English language and literature program during a twelve-week compulsory practicum. Because practicum is an important initial stage for preservice teachers to reflect on their professional identity, exploring how they express their current and future selves offers useful insights for teachers’ professional development. Data were gathered through observation tasks, reflection papers, and focus group interviews and analyzed thematically.

The two overarching themes identified were fragile instructional self-efficacy and ambivalent professional identity. These themes indicate that ideal selves were associated with aspirations for pedagogical competence, student engagement, and professional recognition, whereas feared selves reflected concerns over classroom management, ineffective teaching, and professional stagnation. These future-oriented self-conceptions functioned both as motivational drivers and preventive safeguards, influencing teaching behaviors and identity formation.

These future-oriented self-conceptions served as reference points that should influence teaching behaviors and identity formation. By tracing the dynamic interplay between current, ideal, and feared selves through longitudinal, practicum-embedded qualitative inquiry in a Turkish EFL context, the study provides a process-oriented account of professional identity development that is often overlooked in cross-sectional PST research. The findings suggest that structured reflection and mentor-supported practicum experiences may foster more intentional and adaptive identity construction, offering practical implications for teacher education programs seeking to integrate identity-oriented reflective practices into professional preparation.

The authors received no specific funding for this work. State University, Social Sciences University of Ankara, Ankara, Turkey Tuba Demirkol, Gülşah Tıkız Ertürk & Hakan Demiröz Correspondence to Tuba Demirkol, Gülşah Tıkız Ertürk or Hakan Demiröz. The authors declare no competing interests.

The authors used the free version of ChatGPT only for improving the language in terms of linguistic accuracy and clarity as they needed, yet on a random basis. Apart from that, they have not used any AI tool for any other reason. We affirm that the entire narrative analysis, thematic interpretation process, and the preparation of scientific arguments are entirely the result of the researchers’ thinking.