“It just made me look at language in a different way:” ESOL teacher candidates’ identity negotiation through teacher education coursework

Abstract

Research on language teacher identities is burgeoning, yet there is relatively little empirical evidence about preservice teachers’ identity development during teacher education coursework experiences. Therefore, this study investigates the cases of three preservice ESOL teachers in a 13-month MATESOL program. Focusing on discursive, experiential, negotiated, contested, and positional construction of identity, it conceptualizes identity development as integral component of teacher learning, practice and growth. The findings suggest that the teacher candidates subjectively negotiated their teacher identities during teacher education coursework experiences as (a) they positioned themselves as an ESOL teacher through asynchronous online and face-to-face course discussions, assignments, and activities, (b) they engaged in professional interaction with teacher educators and other emerging teachers, and (c) the professors and other TCs capitalized on their simultaneous school experience as a valuable resource in the teacher-learning community. The findings implicate that language teacher education programs should integrate identity as an explicit pursuit in its practices.