Teachers’ professional identity patterns in the stream of changes

Teachers’ professional identity and the cultural context in which it is formed remain a topic of interest to today’s specialists, despite having been intensely debated for half a century. Previous studies have revealed a lack of comparative quantitative studies on these issues. This study addresses this gap using a quantitative cross-sectional design to test three hypotheses regarding the dependence of teachers’ professional identity on cultural factors. Data was collected from 731 teachers from 6 independent samples from central, southeast, and eastern Europe. Using the Teacher Identity Measurement Scale and Cultural Dimension Scale, the results demonstrated a moderating effect of cultural factors (individualism/collectivism) on the relationships between aspects of professional identity (career motivation, self-image, self-efficacy) and teachers’ perceptions of educational tasks. Therefore, these relationships may be either intensified or attenuated by the value orientation towards individualism or collectivism. Implications for the educational context are multifaceted, referring to culturally informed educational policies.