Abstract

The field of teacher education has yet to clearly address how teacher identity intersects with preparing beginning teachers. This phenomenological case study research intersected three components of teacher education: (a) preparation of preservice teachers, (b) context of urban educational environments, and (c) development of teacher identity during an 80-hour guided urban field experience. Utilizing qualitative data gathered from undergraduate teacher education participants guided response assignments and reflection papers followed by semi-structured interviews of a purposeful sample of the participants, researchers’ analysis indicated guided urban field experiences influenced the development of teacher identity by challenging preservice teachers’ existing perceptions through the cognitive dissonance process. Researchers reaffirmed five distinct stages of cognitive dissonance in the preservice teachers’ transformation from being a student to becoming a teacher and confirmed the important role teacher preparation programs have in supporting this identity development. Additionally, findings indicate preservice teachers shifted their individual identities and their collective professional identities.