Learning and Instruction 11 (2001) 133–156 www.elsevier.com/locate/learninstruc Individual differences in learning to teach: relating cognition, regulation and affect Ida E. Oosterheert a,* , Jan D. Vermunt b a UCLO Department of Teacher Education, Groningen University, Groningen, The Netherlands b Department of Educational Development and Research, University of Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands Abstract The purpose of this study was to describe individual differences in learning to teach. Thirty secondary student teachers were interviewed about several components of their learning: men- tal models of learning to teach, learning activities, regulation in general, emotion regulation in particular, ideal self as a teacher and concerns. The interviews were qualitatively analysed, resulting in the identification of three to five categories per component. Homogeneity analysis demonstrated that many of these categories are related within individuals. Five orientations to learning to teach were discerned; an open meaning orientation, a closed meaning orientation, an open reproduction orientation, a closed reproduction orientation, and a survival orientation. The five orientations may be indicative of how progress in the quality of individual learning evolves.  2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Learning to teach; Experiential learning; Individual differences; Orientations to learning; Learning styles; Self-regulation; Emotion; Homogeneity analysis 1. Introduction Until recently, many studies on teacher education have focused on the effective- ness of curricular changes in teacher education programmes. Less attention has been directed to understanding the learning process to be fostered in teacher education (Carter, 1990; Kubler LaBoskey, 1993). As a result, researchers as well as teacher educators have little knowledge of the process of learning to teach and of the learners * Corresponding author. p/a Johannes Vijghstraat 55, 6524 BP Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Tel.: + 31- 24-3242498; fax: + 31-50-3636614. E-mail address: i.e.oosterheert@uclo.rug.nl (I.E. Oosterheert). 0959-4752/01/$ - see front matter  2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII:S0959-4752(00)00019-0