US-China Education Review A

Teacher collaboration is a cornerstone for enhancing both the educational environment and professional development. This paper explores how collegial interaction among secondary school educators can influence their sense of professional identity. Through a mixed-method study, incorporating a literature review and data from a survey of 488 teachers in the Varese province, we uncover a disconnect between the acknowledged importance of collaboration and its perceived relevance to professional self-conception. Our findings suggest that while collaboration is recognized, it does not play a central role in shaping teachers' professional identities. We propose the integration of collaborative frameworks, such as…