Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine and compare the levels of professional identity of future teachers from three Chilean universities, according to their academic progression, and to characterise their professional identity based on their subjective theories. A mixed sequential study was carried out, in which 662 future teachers from three Chilean universities took part. A scale of teacher professional identity, sociodemographic survey and episodic interviews were applied. The quantitative analysis was carried out with Spearman's correlation and the Kruskall Wallis test to compare the professional identity according to the level of the future teachers. For the qualitative analysis, grounded theory was applied. Significant differences were found in the levels of professional identity when comparing the first, third, fourth and fifth years, and subjective theories that explain these differences. A comprehensive model was developed, where the complexity of subjective theories and professional knowledge acquired in professional practice explain the decline in professional identity in recent years. In the discussion, the results are analyzed from the literature and it is recommended to approach the construction of the professional teacher identity systematically and in a planned manner during initial training.