The Process of Training Teachers for Elementary School in the Islamic Republic of Iran: Opportunities and Threats

Teacher training in the Islamic Republic of Iran lacks a model matching its status. In order to shed light on all four aspects of training teachers for elementary school, i.e. recruitment, preparation, promotion, and evaluation, relevant educational documents have been reviewed. Further data have been collected through interviews with 24 elementary school teachers and teacher trainers. Data analysis revealed nine basic categories and one major phenomenon, namely the professional identity of an elementary school teacher. The nine categories are related to the four aspects of any training program. The formation of a professional identity for an elementary school teacher matching the status of the Islamic government, must consider the definition of training and the need for policy in all four aspects of the program, especially the recruitment and preparation. The establishment of such identity is conditioned upon the professional support of student teachers following graduation, and promotion of self-empowerment through self-evaluation. Realization of the students’ potentials would be the most significant indication of teachers’ professional identity which would lead to an improvement in their social status.