How Do Language Learning, Teaching, and Transnational Experiences (Re)shape an EFLer’s Identities? A Critical Ethnographic Narrative

Yang Gao

doi:10.1177/21582440211031211

Abstract

Using critical ethnographic narrative as a tool and language socialization as the theoretical stance, the article analyzes excerpts of a language teacher’s life experience and presents findings to join the existing literature. The article indicates that (a) transnational teacher identities develop in a multiple-identity system including identities as an L2 learner, teacher, user, critical thinker, and global citizen; (b) the identity development is not completely staged, but instead recurring; (c) the emergence, formation, and development of the identity system requires translanguaging, transcultural, and transnational capitals, which are accrued through socializing experiences; and (d) critical thinking and intellectual agency work as stimuli to sustain the identity development. The article contributes to the existing literature by presenting a conceptual framework in studying language teacher identities. This article ends up with some advocacy that identity as a pedagogy and tool may provide teacher educators with something innovative and helpful to conduct research in the field.

Highlights

Language teacher identity has been an emerging theme in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)/ applied linguistics fields for decades
One of the major findings is that the nature of the teacher identity is multidimensional and ever-changing (Ortaçtepe, 2015; Tsui, 2007)
I found the process of learning, teaching, and using the learned language English and my heritage language Chinese shaped me into a person with multiple identities

Summary

Introduction

Language teacher identity has been an emerging theme in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)/ applied linguistics fields for decades. Identity development, critical ethnographic narrative, transnational experience Ortaçtepe (2015) argued that non-native or second language (L2) speakers teaching their L2 need to negotiate three primary identities, including L2 learner, L2 user, and L2 teacher with other sociocultural and political identities through different contexts.

Results

Conclusion