Student teachers’ identity construction: A socially-constructed narrative in a second language teacher education program

Abstract

Even though it is widely accepted that teacher identity is transformed as a result of teachers’ participation in a teacher community, little relevant research has been undertaken with pre-service teachers (Clarke, 2008). This narrative research aimed to investigate how student teachers constructed their teacher identity in an English teacher education program. By analyzing student teachers’ written and oral narratives, and their teaching practicum journals, we found that teacher identity construction involves an ongoing process and its development is constantly shifting as a result of teaching experiences and social interactions. Findings also showed that the construction of teacher identity started with some conflicts regarding teacher vocation, target language proficiency, and a misconception about the teacher education program, that student teachers faced in the process of learning to teach. Consequently, those conflicts began to be solved as they interacted with the teacher community and experienced the act of teaching. Finally, student teachers revealed how their conflicts were temporarily overcome, resulting in a new understanding of their teacher selves and recognizing new opportunities for their professional development.