ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Educational Psychology
Exploring the Relationship Between Chinese Physical Education Student Teachers' Teacher Identity and Their Interactions with Cooperating Teachers
Provisionally accepted
- 1Huaqiao University, Quanzhou, China
- 2The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR China
- 3Xiamen Institute of Technology, Xiamen, China
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Purpose: The teaching practicum constitutes a pivotal stage in the preparation of preservice physical education teachers (PPETs), during which their experiences exert a profound influence on the formation and development of teacher identity (TI). This study explored the relationship between PPETs' TI and their interactions with cooperating teachers during the practicum, drawing on Interaction Ritual Chain (IRC) theory as an interpretive framework. Methods: A total of 994 physical education student teachers (552 males, 58.5%; 392 females, 41.5%) participated in the study. Both cooperating teacher-student teacher interactions and TI were measured through standardized questionnaires. The data analysis involved two stages: Pearson's correlation was first employed to identify bivariate associations between the dimensions of cooperating teacher-student interactions and PPETs' TI. Subsequently, multiple regression analyses were performed to determine the extent to which specific interaction dimensions predicted TI. Results: Analyses showed that cooperating teacher-student teacher interactions were positively correlated with and significantly predicted TI. Shared activities, bodily co-presence, and emotional resonance emerged as key factors, while a supportive interactive climate and diverse approaches further promoted PPETs' TI development. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the quality of cooperating teacher-student teacher interactions play a crucial role in fostering PPETs' TI.
Keywords: cooperating teachers, interaction ritual chain theory, student teachers, teacheridentity, Teacher-student interaction
Received: 14 Nov 2025; Accepted: 02 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Weng, Zhuang, Zhang and Qiao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Wei Qiao
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