Perception of Professional Identity Among the Violin Teachers of Estonian Music Schools

A survey was conducted among 58 violins teachers (43% of the total population) in Estonia to study teachers' perceptions of professional identity. Professional identity perceptions and self-reported teaching activities were collected with a questionnaire developed by Beijaard, Verloop&Vermunt (2000). It appeared that i) during their career, teacherś perceptions of their professional identity shifted from subject-centred focus towards a focus on students' general development; ii) self-perception of identity was not often related to self-reported teaching activities; iii) there are differences between professional identity perceptions in relation to teachers' pedagogical rank.