Investigation reveals that the professional identity construction process starts at the initial formation period (Dubar, 1992; 1997). Within an ecological perspective, it is influenced by multiple factors and interacting contexts (Broffenbrenner, 1979; Oliveira-Formosinho1997; Simões & Ralha Simões, 1997), allowing the students’ conceptions construction/deconstruction/reconstruction, concerning their future profession (Ball & Glickman cit. in Simões & Ralha Simões, 1997). The practicum context, in the initial teachers’ formation, configures itself as a privileged space for this process to take place (Infante, Silva & Alarcão, 1996; Dubar, 1997), as it allows an approach to the real context of the profession. As part of the practicum, the supervision process comes out as a mediator between the professional knowledge, which is being constructed by the student teacher upon his experiences, and what is defined as being a teacher’s specific professionality (Alarcão & Tavares, 1987;Oliveira- Formosinho, 2000). For this inner construction process, other external attributions also contribute. Concerning the Portuguese context, in 2001, the Rule -Decree Nr. 241 was approved, determining the professional performance specific profiles for the preschool and primary school teachers. This document came to strengthen the preschool teachers’ attributions as education professionals. Previously in 1997, the definition of preschool education as the first stage of the basic education (Law 5/97) was an important step as it defined that preschool teachers share their profile with the remaining teachers of the educative system, characterized by having the social function of teaching, and detaining a specific professional knowledge (Alarcão & Roldão, 2008:67). Each student begins his initial formation carrying a set of conceptions and own knowledge, influencing the construction of his professional identity. Moreira & Macedo (2002) reinforce the idea that the professional identity construction process, initiates in the space of the initial formation, being practicum a privileged context for such. In this paper we’ll present a case study that is being developed by the authors since 2008, within their professional context as preschool teachers’ practicum supervisors of the initial formation for preschool teachers. Inserted in an action research line (Brown & McIntyre, 1981; Kemmis & McTaggart, 1988; Zuber-Skerrit, 1996), it has as aims, in a first phase: to identify what teacher students seem to value in the preschool teachers work; to verify if the valued characteristics are related to the profession specificness; to contribute for the definition of working lines in supervision/formation context with this group, towards a construction of the professional identity.

The population of this study is supported on 50 students, attending a four year preschool teacher education program (licentiate degree), at a Superior School of Education, in the center of Portugal. The initial project for this study foresees three data retrieving moments; the first phase happened in March 2008, when the study population was coursing the 2nd. year. During this phase, a questionnaire based on an open reply was applied, contained several questions related to the future students profession and to the presented aims. Afterwards, the questions were discussed in the classes, for two weeks; first in small groups and later in large group, having the question “what is to be a preschool teacher?” been the one that more debate excited in the class. Based on this focus, a thematic content analysis was elaborated, by the authors, supported on the given answers to this particular question (Bardin, 1979).

After the first phase of retrieving and data analysis, one can conclude that, by the end of one and a half year of formation, the students reveal an unclear image of the profession, concerning the professional performance specific profile of the preschool teacher. They value a more social and affective component rather than an educational one, moving away themselves from the preschool teacher image as an education professional. They emphasize more the teacher’s role as a family substitute, than as an educational mediator for the children's learning. The study is yet on its initial phase status and still underway. The second phase for retrieving and data processing is planned to March 2009.