The role of identity and integrity in teacher development: Towards a grounded theory of teacher formation

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the role of identity and integrity in teacher development and to move toward the development of a grounded theory of Teacher Formation. The conceptual framework for this study is grounded in the work of Parker J. Palmer and the work of the Center for Teacher Formation as manifest through the Courage to Teach Seasonal Retreat Series program for teachers and educational leaders.;The literature review reflects an overview of the existing work describing the nature of the Teacher Formation process and content. The review also discusses conceptions of identity and integrity in the personal and professional lives of educators. The literature review ends with an overview of the field of teacher professional development with a concentration on theoretical foundations of development supportive of Teacher Formation.;Data for this study were collected from fifteen Teacher Formation facilitators working with the Courage to Teach program and from sixteen past and present participants in the Courage to Teach Seasonal Retreat program. Data were collected through a combination of individual and focus group interviews.;The findings from this study generate a series of six core discoveries that represent core propositions in the formulation of a grounded theory of Teacher Formation. These include: (1) An emergent theory of Teacher Formation; (2) the place of Teacher Formation in the field of teacher professional development; (3) the role of identity and integrity in teacher development; (4) the role of teacher renewal in the emergent theory of Teacher Formation; (5) Teacher Formation and transformational learning; and (6) the redefinition of outcome focus in teacher professional development suggested by the emergent theory of Teacher Formation. The study concludes with a review of the study's limitations and recommendations for future research.