Teacher Identity Construction Research Articles

From Turning Points to Teacher Identity Learning Environments: Late-Career Language Teachers Speak Up

Although learning is usually associated with some regulatory bodies, external education, programmes or experts, there is another kind of learning which can be gained from reflection on a language teacher’s biography and their teacher identity learning in a professional environment. The present article focuses on the analysis of four veteran Polish late-career language teachers of English, French, German and Russian who share their language-teacher lives in in-depth narrative inquiry interviews with the author of this text. The article aims to find out how various language-related critical incidents, or turning points, that took place in these teachers’ lives have affected their succeeding professional lives, and their individual perception of the language-teacher identity learning environments available to them. From the analysis of the data, four teacher identity constructions have been distinguished: “the constructive problem solver”, “the comfort minder”, “the perceiver of language-related social injustice” and “the language learner”, and it transpires that the teachers’ previous experiences are likely to affect how and why other things happen. This finding may have vital pedagogical implications for language-teacher educators, as the construction of teacher identities that are related to the participants’ meaningful and unique past experiences may question the sense of developing one universal language-teacher identity.

Theorizing Transnational Language Teacher (Educator) Identities: An Autoethnographic Study of a Border Dweller

This autoethnographic narrative inquiry explores the lived experiences and identities of a transnational English language teacher (educator). The aim of this research was to gain insight into my own transnationality, in order both to better inform my beliefs and practices as an educator, and to highlight the value of exploring transnationality as an important dimension in language teacher identity (LTI) construction. Drawing on autobiographical writing and art work as data sources, constant comparison and line-by-line analysis were employed to identify themes in the data, which were synthesized with relevant literature to further make sense of and theorize (my) transnational LTIs. Featuring theme-focused experiences from my life, findings are organized in a past-present-future structure, looking back at how my past identities can inform my present identities, and how these past and present identities are informing my future imagined identities. Major insights gained from this research into transnational LTI include: (a) social categorization, whether conferring high or low status, is a form of objectification, closely linked to the concept of (un)desire; (b) viewing emotions as signals of sites of growth can help to free us from emotional overwhelm; and (c) identifying and acknowledging our strengths can emancipate us from unjust power dynamics and empower others to do the same. Implications for language teacher education are discussed.

Unpacking English as a foreign language PhDs’ return mobility and identity (re)construction at Chinese universities: A qualitative case study

Using qualitative case study as a method, the researchers collected data from four PhD returnees specializing in teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and inquired about their experiences of teacher identity (re)construction after their return to Chinese universities. The collected data demonstrate that these participants have encountered various challenges in complying with Chinese higher education practices; their unique insider/outsider experience and the contribution that they can make to internationalization of the university culture and pedagogy are undervalued, while they often feel unsupported to develop their research profile. This paper contributes to the current research into EFL PhDs’ mobility and their teacher identity (re)construction in the context of the internationalization of Chinese universities. The challenges and issues raised here may have commonalities with those faced in other international tertiary education settings, where EFL PhD students gain their qualifications overseas and return to a career in EFL in their own country.

Exploring transnationality as a resource for promoting social justice in language teacher identity construction: Insights from an inquiry group

This study explored the transnational identities of six English language teachers in an Egyptian university context, using an identity-focused teacher inquiry group. Grounded in the theoretical frameworks of identity as critical pedagogy, and transnationality as a disposition that can be cultivated, narrative analysis revealed insights into what a transnational disposition entails, and how teachers (can) draw on their transnationality as a resource for promoting social justice in their work. Specifically, three prominent themes emerged: the adoption of humanizing teaching approaches, the bridging of cultural divides, and the promotion of transformative teaching. Implications for pedagogizing language teacher identity are discussed.

You better watch out, short stories of competition, surveillance, and compliance in the construction of vocational education English language teachers’ professional identities in China

ABSTRACT This article reports the results of a qualitative study whose purpose was to explore the teacher identity construction experiences of one group of vocational education English language teachers in China. The study uses narrative methods of inquiry to examine how English language teachers construct their professional identities within a performative institutional environment. Results reveal that three themes – competition, surveillance, and compliance – exemplify the struggles and tensions the participants face in negotiating their language teacher identities as they seek to be recognised as legitimate and capable members of their vocational education community. Implications for vocational education stakeholders wishing to support the wellbeing of language teachers as they construct and reconstruct their teacher identities in China are considered. Suggestions for future research are also discussed.

Discursive construction of online teacher identity and legitimacy in English language teaching

ABSTRACT The paper investigates YouTube teachers’ identity construction within dominant language ideologies. Drawing on the constructs of language teacher professional identity, social media micro-celebrity persona, linguistic entrepreneurship, and raciolinguistic ideologies and online persona, the study analyses banner images, biographies, and semi-structured interviews of online teachers and provides a framework for understanding online teacher identity. The findings reveal that online teachers strategically align or distance themselves from different identity positions to foreground their identity as online English teachers. The findings point to the complex identity construction of online teachers as they navigate the complex terrain of the online English language teaching (ELT) marketplace dominated by neoliberal and raciolinguistic ideologies. The study contributes to a better understanding of the opportunities offered by technology in promoting or challenging such ideologies and calls for a recognition of the identity work online teachers put in to foreground their teacher identity.

Transnational language teachers’ emotional vulnerability and professional identity construction: an ecological perspective

ABSTRACT Despite the recent growth of attention to language teachers’ emotional vulnerability, little research has explored emotional vulnerability and identity construction among transnational teachers. Drawing on an ecological theoretical lens, we explored the emotional vulnerability and professional identity construction of transnational language teachers working in the context of Turkey. Data were collected from open-ended questionnaires, narrative frames, and semi-structured interviews. Data analysis revealed that across the three classroom (micro), institutional (meso), and sociocultural (macro) ecologies, the transnational teachers experienced contextually-invoked emotional conflicts that positioned their identities in a vulnerable state. Most notably, we found that transnational teachers need to become contextually adaptable to the three ecologies in order to develop professional coping strategies that safeguard them against the chronicle stressors of their profession and context. We situate such adaptability within implications calling for holding preparatory courses that facilitate transnational teachers’ transition to the new setting with the hope of positively contributing to their effective professional identity construction.

Teacher professional identities and their impacts on translanguaging pedagogies in a STEM EMI classroom context in China: a nexus analysis

While translanguaging has gained increasing recognition as a multiliteracy pedagogy in English-medium instruction (EMI) education, research exploring its implementation in STEM classroom contexts remains limited. Furthermore, the interplay of EMI teachers’ professional identities and their instructional strategies has received little attention. This qualitative study explores how STEM academics in an EMI programme in China implemented translanguaging pedagogy, developed their professional identities, and examined the impact of identity on their classroom instructional language use. Drawing upon nexus analysis, the study maps the intersecting discourses influencing two EMI lecturers’ divergent language ideologies and translanguaging strategies. The findings highlight the role of teacher identity and agency in navigating institutional and classroom discourses, facilitating planned and effective translanguaging pedagogy. The study reveals identity struggles within the examined institution, where academic staff faced a challenge in balancing their roles as effective EMI teachers and successful researchers due to a discourse of research meritocracy and were constrained in exploring translanguaging pedagogy due to a discourse of internationalism. These challenges undermined their motivation to invest in teaching identity and pedagogical skills. This study underscores the need for a balanced view of research and teaching, more robust teacher evaluation systems, and institutional support to foster effective translanguaging pedagogy in EMI by incorporating teacher identity construction into EMI teacher preparedness.

Identity (Re)Construction of Turkish Pre-service Language Teachers during the Practicum

Teacher identity has been prioritized in current research related to teacher education in order to understand teaching and learning context. This case study investigates identity (re)construction of three pre-service English teachers during the practicum. Drawing on sociocultural theory, how pre-service teachers constructed their identities and enacted their agencies in the field school was examined based on the narratives of the participants. Data collection tools included reflective papers and semi-structured interviews with the participants. Analysis of the qualitative data revealed the following themes related to identity formation of pre-service teachers during the practicum: their imagined selves (Wenger, 1998), the practicum as shaping their identity, and directions for future selves as a result of practicum experience. It was found that previous experiences of the participants as language learners and interaction with the parties including mentor teacher and students in the field school had both positive and negative impacts on identity formation of pre-service teachers. Findings of the study is expected to contribute to the relevant literature, and suggestions are presented for further studies.

Exploration of physics teacher identity through life experience: A case study of science teacher with excellent achievement

This research aims to explore the construction of teacher identity through life experiences. Data were collected from observation, interviews, and document analysis. The subject of this study was TN (a pseudonym), who is a science teacher with an excellent academic background. The results of this research indicate that, from the perspective of discourse identity, TN is a teacher who emphasizes contextual learning and student-centered learning. Based on the perspective of nature identity, kinesthetic learning and her fondness for mathematics have had a major influence on her interest in physics. Meanwhile, from the perspective of affinity identity, family and role models greatly influence TN's beliefs about learning and her decision to have a career as a teacher. From the perspective of institutional identity, formal institutions have a negative impact on the construction of TN’s identities, while informal institutions such as organizations have a positive influence on TN's physics interests and rhetorical skills.

An ethico‐political analysis of a national teacher competence framework: Unravelling a ‘preferred’ teacher identity

AbstractIn recent years, as evidenced in the transnational proliferation of codified competence frameworks for teacher education purposes, we have seen the increased politicisation and regulation of the task of teaching and what it means to be a teacher. Making the case for an ethico‐political conceptualisation of teacher identity and, using a Foucauldian‐based framework of ethico‐political identity, we apply a discourse analysis approach to unravel a ‘preferred’ teacher identity construction using Ireland's national teacher competence framework, the Initial Teacher Education Criteria and Guidelines for Programme Providers as an illustrative case. Findings illuminate this identity as: (i) telos vis‐à‐vis embodying national objectives via critical engagement underpinned by knowledge surfaces and a temporal appreciation of policy; (ii) ethical substance vis‐à‐vis seven modes of engagement animated in two interdependent phases with unique practice dynamics and policy emphases; (iii) discursive authority sources that utilise three major modes of sense‐making; and (iv) self‐practices as confessional dialogue and self‐writing. Considering codified teacher competence frameworks as politics of truth in teacher education, we make the case for macro ethico‐political identity work as a valuable analytical tool for policy analysis in teaching and teacher education.

A Narrative Inquiry of Two English Teachers’ Identity Construction

Teacher identity is one of the essential aspects influencing the form and quality of educational processes. The present study examines the narratives of one of the writers, Devia, and an English teacher, Trisa, throughout their learning and teaching experiences and the process that were involved as they negotiated their identities as teachers. The data were collected from an autobiographical narrative of Devia as an English teacher, as well as intensive life-history interviews with Trisa. Analysis of the narratives and interview data led to four major themes: inspiring figures, teaching practicum experiences, becoming an English teacher, and pursuing a postgraduate study. The findings revealed that Devia’s and Trisa’s engagement in the practices and activities of learning and teaching shaped their teacher identity constructions. Keywords: narrative inquiry, teacher identity, teacher identity construction

‘Translanguaging reminds me to stay humble’: impact of teacher candidates’ pedagogical knowledge of translanguaging on professional identities

This study examined general education teacher candidates (TCs)’s PK of translanguaging and how it shaped their professional identity. Adopting the reflective framework, data were triangulated and included the TCs’ responses from (1) two reflective assignments, (2) a class assignment, and (3) video transcripts of a final self-assessment. The findings demonstrated the TCs’ PK of translanguaging had a positive impact on their teacher identity construction. Understanding the pedagogy from an asset-based perspective and gaining experience in its implementation, the TCs developed a deep appreciation for translanguaging. They believed pedagogical translanguaging is an approach to provide equitable education for emergent multilinguals and promotes all students’ learning and appreciation for diversity. Such a significant growth was greatly due to the professor’s intentional course design that reflected the principles of pedagogical translanguaging and the alignment with the TCs’ field experience. The TCs also expressed a desire to deepen their PK of translanguaging to increase their confidence in its implementation. As such, I argue that to normalize multilingualism, not only is it important to introduce translanguaging to all TCs early on in a teacher preparation program, ensuring they have adequate opportunities to incorporate translanguaging as their pedagogical repertoire expands, but course design needs to be intentional and strategic.

“I am NNEST and I am proud”: Narrative Exploration of ESL Teacher Identity Construction

“I am NNEST and I am proud”: Narrative Exploration of ESL Teacher Identity Construction

The experiential construction of mathematics teacher identity and the impact of early mathematical failure

It is broadly accepted that teachers’ professional identities influence how they teach and what their pupils learn. In this paper, drawing on semi-structured interviews with 22 experienced primary teachers from the Republic of Cyprus, we explore the construction of informants’ professional identities with a specific focus on mathematics teaching. Analyses, undertaken according to the constant comparison method, yielded three broad themes, implicated in differing ways in the construction and manifestation of informants’ identities: prior experiences of mathematics, mathematical competence, and images of the self-as-teacher. Overall, teachers fell into two groups, which analyses led us to construe as either mathematical victors or mathematical victims. Mathematical victors had experienced success as learners of school mathematics, from which pleasure, pride, and confidence in their mathematical knowledge for teaching emerged. Their teaching, which emphasized pupils’ attainment of similar enjoyment and success, focused on abstraction and mathematical reasoning. Mathematical victims had experienced failure as learners of school mathematics, from which anxiety and a restricted mathematical knowledge for teaching emerged. Their teaching, which emphasized positive pupil experiences, focused on affect rather than cognition and an avoidance of “traditional” teaching. However, both groups, despite their confident assertions, appeared unaware of the potential of their actions for creating new victims. The findings, which are discussed in relation to existing literature, confirm the complex nature of mathematics teachers’ identities and highlight, in particular, the need for further research into the formative role of teachers’ prior experiences of mathematics, whether positive or negative.

Constructing inclusive teacher identity in a Finnish international teacher education programme: Indonesian teachers' learning and post-graduation experiences

This article explores how Indonesian teachers continuously reconstruct their identity as inclusive teachers during learning and after graduating from a Finnish master's degree Programme. Taking a narrative and dialogical perspective on identity construction, we analyse the teachers' narratives about their experiences during learning and after graduation when they returned to their respective schools. The findings illustrate the process of teacher identity construction to be inclusive teachers as a repositioning loop. Furthermore, the dynamics of self and others' repositioning provide insights into challenges and contradictions in implementing inclusive education in the post-conflict and post disaster context. The study may provide insights into how teacher identity construction influences inclusive education implementation and its potential to describe the dynamics of this process.

(Re)construction of teacher identities in a soft-CLIL context

Abstract This study investigates 4 secondary school Turkish EFL teachers’ perceptions of their experiences in a new Soft-Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) context and explores whether these experiences led to the (re)construction of their identities. The data was collected through a focus group interview, netnography, and stimulated recalls and analyzed on the basis of inductive content analysis. According to the findings, role conflicts caused by lack of pedagogical knowledge on how to integrate content and language impeded a construction of an encompassing CLIL teacher identity. Therefore, ultimately, identity (re)construction was based on either content or language teacher identities. Adopting an interpretive paradigm, our study highlights the importance of investigating new CLIL teachers’ perceptions of their experiences in understanding their identity (re)constructions. It could thus offer implications for similar contexts, particularly by showing the importance of gathering teachers’ perceptions of experiences for CLIL teacher development.

Correction to: The Construction of Language Teacher Identity Among Graduates from Non-English Language Teaching Majors in Vietnam

Correction to: The Construction of Language Teacher Identity Among Graduates from Non-English Language Teaching Majors in Vietnam

Understanding identity construction of an in-service pre-k teacher using discursive psychology

Experts have asserted that teacher identity is an integral part of classroom practices; studying teacher identity construction would allow us to understand the teachers’ learning process and teaching practices. It is then argued that identity is fluid and is never a stand-alone aspect. Further, many studies of the discursive construction of teacher identities have suggested teacher identity construction is highly contextual. However, little research has focused on how pre-K teachers serving low-income students and families construct their professional identities discursively. Grounded within the perspectives of Discursive Psychology, this study is interested in how a US government-sponsored pre-K program teacher discursively constructs her identities. The findings further suggest the fluidity of identity and particularly posit that the teacher has constructed and claimed her collective and co-constructed identities, as well as discursively formed her identities as a person who values social capital, who is practical, who serves the needy students and families, who has power or resources, and who is a lifelong learner. The findings further implicate the need to consider teachers’ identities to understand their learning, growth, and classroom practices.

Being a Teacher in China: A Systematic Review of Teacher Identity in Education Reform

Education reform is expected to change teacher’s identity is expected to undergo changes, which in turn may influence various aspects of their professional life. As such, teacher identity in education reform context has received strong attention in the literature in the last decade or so. This article provides a systematic and critical review of the empirical research published after 2010 on Chinese teachers’ identity construction. It conceptualizes teacher identity construction in times of education reform and the factors mediating this process. A thematic synthesis was adopted to undertake the review of 28 articles. Teacher identity categories in K12 and tertiary education were extracted from the studies to give a contour of teacher identity trajectory. Teacher identities as thriving, as survival, and as exclusion emerge as the three main teacher identity categories. Guided by Wenger’s identity theory, we then discuss three types of teacher identity trajectories: contrive to thrive, adjust to survive, and alienate to wither; and three distinctive factor themes: power relations, agency, and emotion. This contextualized review unfolds stories and mediators of teacher identity construction against the backdrop of education reform in China through which implications for enhancing strong teacher identities are drawn.