“It Is Utterly Out of My Expectation”-A Case Inquiry of Teacher Identity of an EFL Teacher in a Chinese Shadow School Setting

Abstract

Though teacher identity is currently receiving an increasing amount of attention in the literature on teacher education and teacher development, little information is available about the richness, fluidity and individuality of EFL teacher identities in various L2 settings. This preliminary case inquiry has echoed that comment by exploring qualitatively how language teacher identity features in the participant's categorization of herself as a professional during her school-to-work transition at a shadow school in hinterland China. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and reflection essays, the triangulated data were analyzed with thematic analysis in order to find categories of enacted identities and key factors that impacted Jane's teacher identity formation. The results indicate four identities existed: an attendant, a firefighter, a coolie and a tramp. The fundamental predicaments hovering over the green employer encompass an array of contextual factors, including (1) overwhelming anxieties for potential early student leavers; (2) overhuge workload and fluid working schedule; (3) endless non-teaching related commitments; (4) lack of career prospect and development ladder. The results of the study contribute to the understanding of the complex and dynamic nature of teacher identity influenced by sociocultural landscapes where language teachers are situated. The research suggests implications for teacher educators and stakeholders on how to transform a novice to a qualified EFL teacher within the ideology and discouraging discourse of a burgeoning privately-owned training market, and on how to mediate green teachers' agency and autonomy against the bottlenecks of their initial years of teaching.

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

“…Things always mix up together, so the construction of identities is always complex. In the case of Ms. Anna, the fact that I, as the interviewer, might have played an important part in co-constructing her identities suggests the fluidity of the notion of identity construction itself (Ruohotie-Lyhty et al, 2021;Wang et al, 2021). This discussion can then be referred back to Davey's (2013) point that professional identity is always a process of becoming.…”

Role of Expectations and Emotions in Pre-service Teacher Identity Construction

“…Varghese et al (2016) posit that LTI provides the analytical lens for reconceptualizing language teachers' knowledge base and investigating teachers, teaching, and teacher education. Wang et al (2021) hold that LTI is crucial in language education since it plays an important role in an individual's teaching not only in terms of how they teach but also in how they present themselves and the materials for teaching and learning. The overall aim of a teacher education program is best conceived as the development of professional identity (Van Huizen et al, 2005).…”

“…Language Teacher Identity has merited research attention in the past decade or two (Varghese et al, 2005;Olsen, 2011;Barkhuzen 2016;Yazan & Lindhal, 2020). De Costa and Norton (2017) discuss three theoretical developments in LTI research: a) the ecological turn, b) teacher socialization and investment, and c) teacher aff ect Not surprisingly, LTI research has focused, among other things, on the impact of teacher emotions on their identity construction (Yazan & Peercy, 2018;Cheng, 2021;Wang et al, 2021). In fact, teacher effi cacy is inextricably linked to the sense of self-worth as teachers' experience.…”