TEACHERS' BELIEFS AND UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE LEARNING AND TEACHING PROCESS: FROM STUDENT YEARS TO AN EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONAL

Novice teachers who quit their jobs during their first years of teaching is a worldwide problem (Richardson, 2005). Previous research has shown that while in-service teachers' professional identity is shaped by their own teaching and learning experiences, pre-service programs can make a difference. Many researchers see professional identity as an on-going process of integration of the personal and professional sides of becoming and being a teacher. Pre-service teachers often arrive at initial teacher preparation programs with a clear set of beliefs about teaching that have been influenced by deeply imprinted images of teaching that pervade in the wider culture.