Enhancing STEM Graduate Student Teaching: The Cultivation of Teaching Skills and Identity among Graduate Students

This study examines the development of Graduate Teaching Assistants' (GTAs') teaching identity through professional development (PD) and hands-on teaching experiences. While prior research highlights how PD improves teaching practices, less attention has been paid to their impact on the formation of a cohesive teaching identity.

Understanding GTA identity evolution is essential for designing PD programs that enhance teaching effectiveness. This study explores how structured PD, including pre-semester workshops and classroom experience, influences GTAs’ instructional roles and student engagement.

Data were collected from seven focus groups (33 GTAs) following a two-day pre-semester workshop in August 2023, along with one-on-one interviews with 20 GTAs throughout the academic year and 10 follow-ups in summer 2024. Using open and axial coding methods, the analysis identified key themes related to the development of teaching identity, and the difficulties GTAs encounter as they grow into their instructional roles.

Findings reveal that GTAs initially held a limited view of their roles but, through PD and experience, developed a deeper, student-centered approach. They integrated insights from PD, personal skills, and prior learning to refine their instructional methods. This study underscores the need for PD programs that not only provide teaching strategies but also support GTAs in shaping their evolving teaching identities.