Research Article

Teacher Professional Identity, Psychological Well-Being, and Educational Policy in Türkiye

Volume: 10 Number: 1 June 30, 2026
TR EN

Teacher Professional Identity, Psychological Well-Being, and Educational Policy in Türkiye

Abstract

Teacher professional identity is shaped by educational policies that have shifted markedly under neoliberal reform. This study examined the extent to which Turkish high school teachers in state schools adopt activist and entrepreneurial professional identities (Sachs, 2001, 2003) and how each identity type relates to their psychological well-being. A correlational survey design was used with 290 teachers from 17 public secondary schools in the Western Black Sea Region of Turkiye. Data were collected using the Activist Teacher Identity Scale (ATIS) and the Entrepreneur Teacher Identity Scale (ETIS), both developed for this study, together with the Turkish version (Telef, 2013) of Diener et al.'s (2010) Flourishing Scale. Teachers reported a high level of activist identity (M = 4.14) and a low level of entrepreneur identity (M = 2.55). Pearson correlations indicated a positive, moderate relationship between activist identity and psychological well-being (r = .33, p < .01) and a negative, weak relationship between entrepreneur identity and psychological well-being (r = −.20, p < .01). The findings suggest that democratic, collaborative, and critically engaged professional values are associated with greater well-being among teachers, whereas identification with managerial, performance-driven roles is associated with diminished well-being. Implications for policy, teacher education, and in-service support are discussed.

Keywords

teacher professional identity, activist teacher, entrepreneur teacher, psychological well-being, educational policy

References

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APA
Yirmibeş, A., & Demirkasımoğlu, N. (2026). Teacher Professional Identity, Psychological Well-Being, and Educational Policy in Türkiye. Bartın University Journal of Educational Research, 10(1), 60-79. https://doi.org/10.67415/bujer.1939473
AMA
1.Yirmibeş A, Demirkasımoğlu N. Teacher Professional Identity, Psychological Well-Being, and Educational Policy in Türkiye. ANNOUNCEMENTS. 2026;10(1):60-79. doi:10.67415/bujer.1939473
Chicago
Yirmibeş, Ahmet, and Nihan Demirkasımoğlu. 2026. “Teacher Professional Identity, Psychological Well-Being, and Educational Policy in Türkiye”. Bartın University Journal of Educational Research 10 (1): 60-79. https://doi.org/10.67415/bujer.1939473.
EndNote
Yirmibeş A, Demirkasımoğlu N (June 1, 2026) Teacher Professional Identity, Psychological Well-Being, and Educational Policy in Türkiye. Bartın University Journal of Educational Research 10 1 60–79.
IEEE
[1]A. Yirmibeş and N. Demirkasımoğlu, “Teacher Professional Identity, Psychological Well-Being, and Educational Policy in Türkiye”, ANNOUNCEMENTS, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 60–79, June 2026, doi: 10.67415/bujer.1939473.
ISNAD
Yirmibeş, Ahmet - Demirkasımoğlu, Nihan. “Teacher Professional Identity, Psychological Well-Being, and Educational Policy in Türkiye”. Bartın University Journal of Educational Research 10/1 (June 1, 2026): 60-79. https://doi.org/10.67415/bujer.1939473.
JAMA
1.Yirmibeş A, Demirkasımoğlu N. Teacher Professional Identity, Psychological Well-Being, and Educational Policy in Türkiye. ANNOUNCEMENTS. 2026;10:60–79.
MLA
Yirmibeş, Ahmet, and Nihan Demirkasımoğlu. “Teacher Professional Identity, Psychological Well-Being, and Educational Policy in Türkiye”. Bartın University Journal of Educational Research, vol. 10, no. 1, June 2026, pp. 60-79, doi:10.67415/bujer.1939473.
Vancouver
1.Ahmet Yirmibeş, Nihan Demirkasımoğlu. Teacher Professional Identity, Psychological Well-Being, and Educational Policy in Türkiye. ANNOUNCEMENTS. 2026 Jun. 1;10(1):60-79. doi:10.67415/bujer.1939473