Teacher identity as a field of research, has emerged to help understand how teachers develop their knowledge, competence and practice, whilst at the same time navigating their way through the complexities and challenges they face in their professional lives. The field focuses on exploring how identity is defined and developed, how teachers make sense of their evolving and changing identity, and how their emergent sense of professional self and professional practice, is influenced by their personal experiences, values and beliefs. This study compares two distinct socially constructed learning contexts—one in Northern Ireland and the other in the United States—and aims to gain a deeper understanding of how teacher identity forms during the early stages of teacher development. The value of the comparative approach is that it highlights how experiences are shaped by interactive socio-historical and cultural negotiations within specific environments, situations, and contexts. Whilst the overarching goal is to "become" a teacher, these different learning contexts reveal notable variations in influence coming from particular discourses, priorities and practices. To explore these differences, a qualitative, interpretive research design was employed, using open-ended questions and contextual examinations to determine the participants’ perspectives and meaning-making processes. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of student teachers (n=14) in their first or second year of study, along with a sample of teacher educators (n=5) responsible for the design, organisation, and management of their respective programmes. An inductive thematic analysis revealed key issues related to the participants' personal dispositions and prior learning experiences; their motivations and aspirations for choosing teaching as a career; the influence of the teacher education programme on which they were enrolled; and the extent to which experiences working with teachers and pupils in schools challenged and transformed their views on teaching as a professional activity. The study also highlights that within the teacher-learning process across the two contexts, varying degrees of influence were exerted by those occupying different roles (e.g., tutor, mentor, student). The findings contribute to our understanding of how those beginning to teach develop a sense of professional identity in the initial stages of their professional formation. The study offers valuable insights for teacher educators and policymakers in designing strategies, programmes and pedagogical approaches, which effectively support professional growth and positive identity formation.

Keywords: Initial teacher education, Professional learning, Professional growth, Teacher identity.