Exploring the Relationship Between Preservice Teachers’ Professional Identity, Professional Perceptions, and Social Support

This research aimed to examine the relationship between teacher identity, their perceptions of teaching, demographic variables, and social support. A relational research model was used in the study. 692 preservice teachers studying at a state university in the Aegean region participated in the study. The data tools were the personal information, Pre-Professional Teacher Identity, Fit-Choice Scale, and Social Support Scale. Data were analyzed using the Structural Equation Model (SEM). Results showed that there was a positive statistical relationship between the perception and social support. It was determined that teacher support was mostly related to social status, while friend support was statistically significantly and positively related to social status, satisfaction, and high demand. Family support was found to be statistically significantly and positively related only to the busy work sub-dimension. Satisfaction with choice was related to all teacher identity dimensions. Salary and expert career were significantly related to only participation as a teacher. The future studies and implications were discussed.