Teacher Identity Research Articles

Teacher Identity Discourses in Place—Exploring Discursive Resources in Pre-Service Teachers’ Constructions of Teacher Identity

This methodological article focuses on how to effectively map pre-service teachers’ use of discursive resources in professional identity production. By adopting a discourse analytical approach, this study views identity construction as a situational, real-time process occurring in interaction. The aim is to contribute knowledge about how to systematically map and analyze the resources that pre-service teachers use to construct their teacher identities during their education. Drawing on the framework of Mediated Discourse Analysis, this article presents a model that integrates two key concepts: discourse domains, which refer to the types of discourse commonly used in teacher education, and layers of discourse, which address societal levels in identity construction. The results suggest that using these concepts to map students’ use of discursive resources highlights how their knowledge of the teaching profession, their education and everyday experiences can be assets when constructing their teacher identities. While the model can be further refined and developed to better show the complexity of discursive resources in identity construction processes, it shows promise as a fruitful approach. By mapping and visualizing discursive resources through this model, this study offers valuable methodological insights into how to approach professional identity development among pre-service teachers.

Urban Pre-service English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) Teachers’ Challenges During Teaching Practicum in Rural Schools: A Photovoice Phenomenological Approach

While many previous studies focused on English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) teachers’ teaching practices in urban schools, little study has been indulged regarding pre-service English teachers’ (PSTs) challenges and experiences to practice teaching in a rural school. This study aimed to explore various difficulties encountered by urban PSTs during teaching practicum (TP) in rural schools. A total of seven PSTs enrolled in urban universities were voluntarily involved in a study that involves people’s senses and perceptions, rather than scientific evidence, also known as a phenomenological study. Data were collected through multiple semi-structured interviews, followed by a photovoice approach through which the participants were asked to take emotional photos. The results revealed that the PSTs encountered four main challenges during TP in rural schools, including changes in teacher identity construction, intercultural sensitivity barriers, a lack of supporting resources, and limited teacher professional development. Each challenge was accomplished by photographs representing PSTs’ emotions and feelings, such as a collection of dolls, natural scenery, old-printed books, and blank paper. In conclusion, integrating emotional photos into descriptive exploration is paramount evidence of how the challenges were encountered, managed, and solved for better future teaching and learning practices.

From reflective practice to communicative interaction: a case study on the use of blogs by student teachers

Abstract This case study examines the use and possibilities of blogging as reflective practice journals by student teachers during their practicum. The blog serves as a tool for the construction of their teacher identity through the encouragement of daily reflection on school experiences. The study investigates how the blog, as a digital tool, facilitates peer interaction, reflective thinking, and collaborative knowledge construction. Conducted with participants from primary and secondary education programs at the University of Valencia the research employs a qualitative, instrumental case study methodology. The researcher acted as the teacher-tutor of the internships and students shared their impressions by sharing their experiences within the group. Findings suggest that blogs function as effective platforms for fostering reflective writing, enhancing peer support, and promoting collaborative knowledge construction, ultimately contributing to the development of professional identity among student teachers. Self-censorship is identified as the main limitation, especially when sharing perceived shortcomings in the school system and teaching practice. The study concludes that the blog provides an interactive space that enriches personal writing expression and collaborative learning, highlighting also their value in teacher education.

‘I’m not Che Guevara, I’m an activist teacher’: six-component conceptual model for activist pedagogy

ABSTRACT Recent global crises have underscored the need to foster youth’s sociopolitical engagement to strengthen democracy. This study conceptualised activist pedagogy for active citizenship (APAC) as a framework for empowering teachers to cultivate students’ civic participation. Through a literature review and qualitative analysis of interviews and focus groups with 41 Israeli teachers, six core principles of APAC were identified: critique and challenge, learning through action, real-world connections, advocating for change, transforming teacher identity, and fostering solidarity and community. The findings validate and extend the initial framework, offering a comprehensive model that encompasses teacher characteristics, practices, challenges, and professional development needs. This study highlights the importance of building capacity for activist pedagogy to support teachers in nurturing politically engaged youth amidst contemporary democratic challenges. It recommends nurturing policies that support the activist pedagogical approach, which this article proposes in an organised manner as a theoretical conceptual framework with potential for practical development.

Identity discourse in teacher education: Developments in national-cultural identities of pre-service teachers in Israel

In our multi-cultural world, it is crucial that teachers have the ability to engage in dialogical and pluralistic discourse on identities. This qualitative study aimed to characterize the process that preservice teachers underwent in their course, “Identity Discourse in the Classroom,” in a teacher education college in Israel. The analysis focused on the development of their national-cultural identity. The results demonstrated that the students moved from ambiguity to clarity and reflexivity concerning their national-cultural identity. They also demonstrated that the course created an infrastructure for the emergence of a non-essentialist identity consciousness, one that reflects a moderate constructivist view.

Pedagogizing Identity in Teacher Education Through Critical Autoethnographic Narrative

In this study, I report on my use of critical autoethnographic narrative (CAN) writing with English language teacher candidates (TCs) in a graduate-level teacher education course. In that iterative, scaffolded writing activity, I coached TCs to construct their teacher identity in narrative and make visible to themselves ideologies dominant in the sociopolitical context of language teaching. Drawing data from my CAN implementation in Spring 2023, I analyze Pamela's (pseudonym) case to address this research question: How does she construct her English language teacher identity in a semester-long CAN writing activity? The qualitative data analysis demonstrates that Pamela's language teacher identity involved: (a) becoming a social justice advocate, (b) grappling with neurodiversity, and (c) positioning language as an evolving local contextualized practice. Based on her positioning of language, she denies ‘one right way’ approach to language use, ‘teaching as correcting errors’ approach, and ‘assessment as gatekeeping’ approach as part of her teacher identity. Pamela's CAN shows that the personal, professional, and political dimensions of language teaching are intricately intertwined in teacher identity, and that teacher identity construction involves tensions of competing ideologies in the sociopolitical context.

Enriching the professional identity of early childhood development teachers through mentorship

The purpose of this paper is to highlight three professional identity tensions that are experienced by beginning teachers: the change in role from student to teacher; conflicts between expectations and realities of mentor support given to students (mentees), and contradictory notions of learning to teach. Research shows that Early Childhood Development (ECD) is losing many highly qualified teachers due to the perceived lack of proper mentorship in developing professional identity. This article outlines a study to explore the mentoring needs of ECD teachers in developing a positive professional identity. Participatory Reflection and Action (PRA) as a data collection method, which relied heavily on interpretivism as epistemology was conducted. The research sample consisted of all fourth year (final-year) undergraduate BEd students (n=713), who had to attend the compulsory teaching-practice component of the teacher training programme for the first time during the second and third quarters of the academic year. The BEd (Foundation Phase) students’ completed matrices (maps) were transcribed, coded and categorised through thematic analysis. As a result, two dimensions of the participants’ identity construction emerged: (1) Positive Role Modelling and (2) Missed Opportunities. It is suggested that mentor training, as well as scheduled talk-time and reflection opportunities between the mentors and mentees could transform the Work Integrated Learning (WIL) landscape and enrich the professional identity of Early Childhood Education teachers.

The Mediating Role of Teacher Efficacy Between Academic Self-Concept and Teacher Identity Among Pre-Service Physical Education Teachers: Is There a Gender Difference?

The aim of this study was to analyse the differentiated role played by academic self-concept on teacher identity, taking into account the mediating role of teacher efficacy and the gender of the pre-service physical-education teachers. In this cross-sectional study, 478 master’s degree students in Secondary Education Teacher Training participated (Mean = 27.09; SD = 6.32; 54.8% male, 44.8% female, 0.4% other). The following scales were used: academic self-concept, teaching identity, and teacher self-efficacy. After finding significant differences in academic effort, a structural equation analysis (SEM) with the multigroup option was conducted to answer the research objective. The results revealed that the women had significantly higher mean academic effort values than the men. In addition, the SEM, which showed excellent fit indices, revealed that, for the men, teacher efficacy acted as a mediating variable between academic confidence and teacher identity. In contrast, for the women, teacher efficacy acted as a mediator between academic effort and teacher identity. However, academic effort also acted as a direct predictor of teacher identity in male pre-service teachers. As a main conclusion, it can be said that the findings highlight the importance of academic self-concept in undertaking the master’s degree by increasing teacher identity through the teaching efficacy of pre-service teacher educators.

Middle-Level Teacher Development and Identity: A Review of the Literature

Historically, the field of middle-level education has taken it as a given that teachers of young adolescents should be specially prepared to teach in the middle grades, developing a teacher identity that centers around responding to and advocating for the age group above an identity as a subject area teacher. Defined broadly as teachers’ dynamic conceptualizations of themselves as educators and their related roles, decisions, and actions, teacher professional identity has garnered considerable attention in the research literature as a potential source of leverage in multiple dimensions of schooling, preservice teacher education and in-service teachers’ professional learning, and teachers’ professional lives. Teacher identity at the middle level is ideally grounded in a deep commitment to helping young adolescents realize their power and possibilities. While the literature on teacher identity development is well-established in some educational contexts, studies specifically examining the potentially unique developmental trajectory of teacher identity among middle-level educators remain limited. To address this gap, we conducted a review of the literature to address the question: what does the research say about middle-level teacher development and identity? Our review identified 26 relevant sources on middle-level teacher development and identity, published from 2015 through the first half of 2024, and yielded key ideas within three themes: (a) the development of teacher identity, (b) the intersectionality of teacher identity, and (c) critical consciousness, agency, and teacher identity. This review identifies both progress and gaps in the current literature, recognizes potential future directions for research on middle-level teacher identity, and offers possible implications for preservice and in-service middle-level teacher education.

Multilingual Realities and English Teacher Construction in Indonesian Pesantren: A Narrative Inquiry

This study aimed to explore the construction of English teacher identity within the multilingual and religiously oriented environment of Indonesian pesantren through a narrative inquiry approach. Applying narrative inquiry, the study examined how teachers negotiate their religious and professional identities while balancing multiple language ideologies embodied in this educational context. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and reflective journals, providing rich narratives of teachers' experiences, challenges, and strategies in navigating their roles. Three key themes emerged: balancing language ideologies, the interplay between religious and professional identities, and multilingual practices in the classroom. The findings reveal the dynamic, context-responsive nature of teacher identity development within pesantren, highlighting how educators align religious values with pedagogical goals. This study addresses a critical gap by focusing on identity formation in faith-based multilingual education settings, offering new insights beyond secular or formal institutions. The implications contribute to broader discussions on teacher identity, multilingual education, and the intersection of language, religion, and teaching practices.

Examining the Implications of Islamic Teacher Education and Professional Learning: Towards Professional Identity Renewal in Islamic Schools

Teachers in Islamic schools are often required to navigate complex identities. They balance personal and/or school-based religious obligations with contemporary secular-based commitments to meet organisational demands for institutional compliance. Behaviourally, the motivations and attitudes of teachers play a vital role in shaping a learning environment that fosters a sense of community and caters to the needs of students. However, recent studies on Islamic education suggest a real struggle in managing such complexities. Consequently, scholars have called for specialized programs to counter such issues, focusing on the need for schools to renew their commitment to promoting educational values, principles and practices that are rooted in the Islamic tradition. Several higher education institutions have responded to this call by establishing programs in Islamic studies and Islamic education. Nevertheless, there is limited knowledge of the organisational and behavioural significance of such programs on the professional identity of teachers. Using semi-structured interviews, this article presents findings from four teachers who had completed a postgraduate qualification in Islamic education at an Australian university. The six-phase thematic data analysis, informed by Muslim identity and an Islamic worldview, revealed that secular teacher education provided participants with ‘a license to teach’ but lacked in ‘nurturing a purpose for teaching’. The findings also revealed a distinct connection between Islamic teacher education, professional learning and professional identity, whereby Islamic-based pedagogies ‘enlightened and empowered’ teachers toward becoming ‘faith-centred’ in their professional practice. While the study was limited to four teachers, it contributes knowledge to the Islamic education, organizational and behavioural fields of inquiry in two ways, by underlining that (i) the professional identities of Muslim teachers are shaped by a knowledge-seeking mindset, and (ii) Islamic teacher education and professional learning create pathways towards the renewal of teachers’ professional identities in Islamic schools.

Prescribed pedagogy: An autoethnographic analysis of coursebook constraints, teacher identity, and power dynamics in Iran through Foucault’s lens

This study uses Critical Autoethnographic Narrative (CAN) to explore the influence of standardized coursebooks on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching in Iran. Drawing on over ten years of experience as an English teacher and supervisor, the research highlights how these coursebooks act as tools of control, constraining teacher autonomy and creativity. While existing literature focuses on technical aspects of coursebooks, this study fills a gap by examining their impact on pedagogical flexibility and teacher identity. Through a reflexive analysis guided by Foucault’s theories of power and discipline, key themes such as "pedagogical constraints," "reduced autonomy," and "professional satisfaction" are identified. The findings reveal significant limitations imposed by standardized materials, suggesting a need for more flexible and culturally responsive teaching approaches. This study contributes to understanding the socio-political dimensions of EFL education in Iran and offers insights for enhancing teacher autonomy and curriculum development.

Beginning Teachers Navigating Identity Development Transitions: Identity Motives and Commitment to Teaching

Beginning teachers (preservice and novice) must develop a resilient professional identity, yet high early attrition rates indicate the need for additional support in this process. Many attrition studies focus on external factors; few address teacher identity. According to developmental psychologists, identity commitments are concretized in a stepwise process, first by tentatively making them, and then by evaluating them. Most preservice and novice teachers are in a transitional stage, as they explore whether tentative commitments fit their sense of self. Our research tests the proposition that such exploration is often focused on determining whether a teaching career will satisfy their identity motives. We interviewed and collected self-reported written stories from 154 interns and novice teachers. Participants discussed their career choice in an initial interview and in a questionnaire focusing on recent, identity-relevant significant events administered at three points in time over a year. These career choice and written, field-based significant event stories underwent content analysis for the presence of identity motives, guided by a codebook developed for this research. This paper describes two central and innovative findings. First, identity motives are, indeed, present and highly salient in teachers’ career deliberations. Secondly, we found that beginning teachers express motives differentially, vary in the salience they accord the motives, and explore motives differently according to situational context. This differentiation in focus may indicate important shifting priorities and challenges as participants navigate the transition to the field. Taken together, these findings suggest that understanding and addressing identity motives in teacher development may enable more personalized and responsive tools that support teacher retention.

EXPLORING KAZAKH EFL TEACHERS’ PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY: A QUANTITATIVE STUDY

This study's extensive quantitative research design to investigate the professional identities of in-service EFL teachers in Kazakhstan and Turkistan makes it stand out. A comprehensive survey, unparalleled in scope and exhaustiveness, was distributed to 470 English instructors in 45 state schools, offering an extensive synopsis of how these educators see their professional identities. The survey findings provide insights into several professional identity factors, including the propensity to teach, act as role models, and establish productive learning settings. The results show that participants' professional identities were generally average, with major exceptions for knowledge-sharing and role modeling. Simultaneously, less emphasis was placed on recognizing students' original language culture and establishing a favorable classroom atmosphere. The study also looks at how different professional identities are within qualification categories, and it finds statistically significant variances that highlight how teachers' self-perception and professional growth are influenced by their educational background. These findings have implications for teacher education and professional development initiatives and a deeper knowledge of the elements influencing EFL instructors' professional identities in Kazakhstan.

Language Teacher Agency and Identity in Internationalized Higher Education: An Ecological Perspective

ABSTRACTSubstantial literature has focused on language teacher agency and identity in relation to learners in classrooms. Relatively little research exists regarding the nature of language teacher identity shaped by contextual factors brought on by the internationalization of education. To address the gap in the literature, this study explored how student teachers in a TESOL program negotiate their language teacher agency and identity in the ecosystems of an internationalized institution of higher education while contributing to different ESL programs. While pursuing an MA degree in TESOL with a teaching opportunity at an Intensive English program for non‐matriculating students or an ESL service program for pathway program students at a US university, seven student teachers participated in semi‐structured interviews, which were triangulated with the student teachers’ portfolios of lesson plans and reflection papers. The analysis demonstrated the student teachers’ agentic beliefs, choices, and practices in relation to contextual factors in the nested ecosystems of internationalized higher education, such as international students’ needs in the microsystem, training opportunities in the mesosystem, institutional policy and practice in the exosystem, and broad cultural norms in relation to language education in the macrosystem.

Digital Echoes: Crafting Chinese EFL Teacher Identity in the Era of AI-Enhanced Instruction—A Qualitative Exploration

This study examines the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) integration on the professional identities of Chinese tertiary English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers. It explores how these educators perceive and adapt to the incorporation of AI tools into their teaching practices, focusing on both the opportunities and challenges encountered. Through qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with 16 tertiary EFL teachers, the study identifies key factors influencing their professional identities, including institutional support, professional development, peer influence, personal attitudes towards technology, and ethical considerations. The findings indicate that AI integration enhances personalized learning and reduces the burden of administrative tasks. However, it also challenges teachers to reshape their roles and manage both technological and ethical complexities effectively. The study highlights the necessity for ongoing professional development and robust institutional support to effectively integrate AI in educational settings, ensuring it enhances rather than undermines the teaching and learning process.

Models of Science Teacher Identity: The Multiple Representations of Pre-Service Elementary Science Educators

ABSTRACT Experiences in pre-service teacher education can have a lasting effect within the professional life histories of classroom teachers. Investigating the ways in which pre-service elementary teachers (PSETs) represent themselves as science teachers before, during, and after methods course experiences can inform best practices of elementary science teacher pre-service and inservice development as well as further highlight the concerns and objectives of PSETs. Therefore, as a pre-service science teacher educator, I seek to understand the ways in which PSETs represent themselves as future science teachers and the experiences within the methods courses that influence those representations. This study relies on quantitative pre- and post-survey data and qualitative course artifact data completed as part of regular undergraduate course assignments. PSETs representations of self within this study tend to shift from a traditional approach to science teaching toward constructivist, student-centered pedagogical practices and show reduced anxiety toward teaching science and increased science teaching self-efficacy.

Fostering excellence: professional associations and the cultivation of teachers’ professional identities

ABSTRACT In the Republic of Croatia, there is not a single overarching professional association for early childhood education (ECE) teachers. Instead, six regional ECE teachers’ associations are actively operating. Recognizing the shared responsibility for upholding professionalism, ECE teachers are proactively seeking a nurturing environment that fosters their professional growth and aligns with their practical requirements. This research was conducted with a sample of 206 ECE teachers in the Republic of Croatia and aimed to explore the role of professional ECE teachers’ associations in shaping the professional identity of ECE teachers within the country. To achieve this objective, a survey questionnaire was designed to assess motivation, self-perception, self-efficacy and attitudes of ECE teachers toward educational tasks and ECE teachers’ professional associations. The findings reveal that both education level and membership in professional associations are predictive factors influencing respondents’ perception of their profession and their professional identity.

Rural teachers’ appropriation of national bilingual policies: voices from the Colombian periphery

ABSTRACT This qualitative case study explores how rural teachers in the Colombian periphery perceive and appropriate national bilingual policies. I drew theoretically on coloniality/decoloniality, bilingualism, and teacher agency and collected data through questionnaires and in-depth interviews from four self-contained rural elementary school teachers. Data were analysed through thematic analysis and thematic coding and yielded three research categories: (a) bilingual policies and teaching realities gap, (b) policies’ discourses and teacher identity interconnectedness, and (c) eclectic and collaborative teachers. The main findings suggest that teachers perceive bilingual education merely as English language teaching and that bilingual policies’ powerful discourses have influenced their identity negatively. Likewise, they acknowledge that the educational authorities’ expectations are distant from the rural realities, so theyrecur to various pedagogical strategies and collaborative work to teach English and address bilingual policies’ methodological shortcomings. However, these efforts suggest racialised/colonised perceptions and teaching practices that enforce global agendas and neglect local necessities. Hence, it is paramount that educational actors decolonise/deracialise bilingual policies by localising pedagogies and humanising bilingual education.

How higher education teachers see their professional identity

An important dimension to understand the student learning process is the professional identity of teachers, which is conceptualized as a continuous process of construction and reconstruction. In this process, teachers define and assume their roles in a specific educational context that is characterized by tensions, adjustments, and transformations. This study focuses on understanding the professional identity of higher education teachers, a field characterized by constant evolution and demands. The personal characteristics of this identity are explored, including experiences and biographical representations, as well as its interrelationship with the institutional environment. Using a qualitative interpretive approach, six teachers recognized for their pedagogical innovation and educational commitment were interviewed. The results reveal outstanding motivation and responsibility in educational work, but also tensions between personal identity and the work context, reflected in the perception of low recognition and the importance of institutional leadership. The teachers show a critical and reflective view of their work, influenced by childhood experiences that impact their conceptions of educational justice and equity. To conclude, the common characteristics of professional identity in higher education highlight the need to integrate them into professional development. The article advocates for the design of more personalized training programs and the promotion of continuous learning among peers as key elements to strengthen this identity and improve pedagogical practice.