Abstract
This thesis examines the perspectives of one cohort of secondary school preservice teachers regarding the roles of secondary school teachers as they explained their professional world both before and following a school based supervised professional experience. Socio-political backgrounds of schooling and teacher education, as well as representations of teacher images and identities were investigated. In conjunction with three core propositions identified within the data, a model was developed and referred to as the Preservice Teacher Role Identity Framework. This framework highlights the changing perspectives that preservice teachers report as they progress through their initial teacher education.