Teacher education during wartime: professional identity, resilience, and practical training adaptations. A mixed-methods study of student and mentor experiences navigating crisis

Research from Frontiers in Education (International) examined teacher education programs operating in conflict zones, focusing on the professional identity, resilience, and practical training adaptations of students and mentors. This mixed-methods study involved 257 participants (227 students and 30 mentors) at one Teacher Training College during the 2024 academic year, following the October 7, 2023 attacks. The study highlights the significant disruption faced by these programs and the limited existing empirical research on how acute crises affect professional identity formation and learning processes in real time.

Why it matters

This research provides crucial insights into maintaining critical professional development and educational pipelines in extremely challenging and volatile environments. Understanding how individuals sustain professional identity and adapt training during crises is vital for long-term stability and human capital development in affected regions, informing strategies for resilience and continuity of essential services.

Key insights

• Teacher education programs in conflict zones experience profound disruption.
• Limited empirical research exists on the real-time effects of acute crises on professional identity formation and learning processes.
• The study investigates how pre-service teachers and mentors sustain professional development during the immediate aftermath of large-scale traumatic events.
• Data was collected from 257 participants (227 students, 30 mentors) at a single Teacher Training College.
• The research specifically focused on professional identity formation, attitudes toward teaching, and coping strategies following the October 7, 2023 attacks.
• Student surveys included assessments of professional identity, with an average score of 4.93.

Source

Frontiers in Education — https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2026.1837326