This qualitative study explores how foreign non-native English speaking teachers (FNNESTs) perceive themselves as English educators and how they exert agency to be better perceived as professionals. Given the close relationship between teacher identity and its implications for educational outcomes, this study is based on Norton’s (2008) perspective on identity, which posits identity as dynamic, contradictory, and constantly changing across time and place. The data collection process included four semistructured interviews with two FNNESTs and four interactions on social networking sites. According to the results, the identities of FNNESTs were shaped through their initial language learning experiences, exposure to critically oriented scholarship in graduate school, their future anticipations, and mostly through their agency in the immediate professional context in which they currently teach. That is, four unique identities and one common identity were identified among the participants. In summary, FFNESTs do not perceive themselves as lacking but rather value their diverse language skills and past experiences as language learners.

This paper explores possibilities of using language learning autobiographies as a form of identity texts in order to produce suggestions for critical teacher education. Specifically, we examined what insights we might gain by reframing Korean pre-service teachers’ autobiographies as a form of identity texts to develop reflective teachers, who affirm their identities and language learning histories. We thematically analyzed autobiographical reflection papers on English learning experiences of 73 undergraduate students enrolled in a compulsory elementary English education course at a public university in South Korea. The analysis revealed the predominance of referral to English private education experiences and a sense of linguistic insecurity felt by these pre-service teachers, who would later teach in public schools. Based on these findings, we provide suggestions for critical teacher education to foster critical language awareness and identity investment for the students. We conclude that language learning autobiographies, while incorporating characteristics of identity texts, might be a useful tool for critical pedagogies.

This study examines multiple language-identities embedded within the emerging professional teacher identity of international graduate students teaching Korean as a foreign language (KFL). Situated in the context of Korean classrooms at an American university, this study draws data from two rounds of interviews with three instructors (one nonnative and two native Korean speakers). The qualitative analysis reveals that their professional teacher identity revolves around multiple language identities grounded in their L1 cultural norms and perceived English language proficiencies. Their views and undertakings of local cultural norms indicate the varying ways in which these instructors projected their L1 and L2 identities onto their emergent teacher identity. Given the vexed relationship between notions of teacher authority in her L1 Japanese culture and the local norms of interaction, the nonnative teacher maintained authority by establishing a certain distance from her students. By contrast, the native teachers accommodated the local understandings of teacher authority and (re)shaped their view of a teacher to the locally-defined professionalism, a teacher like ‘a friend’. The negotiated identity of the KFL teachers improved classroom interaction and engendered positive view about teaching. The findings are discussed to highlight foreign language teacher identity in a teacher education program.

This study explores the notion of ‘good language teacher’ (GLT) identity in the context of English education in South Korea. While other studies have investigated parents’ and general public preferences for and associations of good language teacher identity with ‘native-speaking’ teachers of English, little research has examined the views of young learners as to what constitutes a GLT. In this study, a survey tool was used to collect student images and descriptions of imagined, good English teachers. A total of 577 young Korean students (K-6th grade) provided their own images and descriptions of good English teachers, both in English and Korean. The findings indicate that student perceptions of GLT identity strongly reflects their immediate learning experience. Contrary to previous studies showing preference for teachers according to ‘native speaker’ or other markers (e.g., race, gender), the study demonstrated no strong preference for native speaking teachers. Instead, factors such as personality were emphasized. This study provides implications for recruiting and hiring practices for English teachers.

This study aims at exploring the theoretical perspectives and research related to second language teacher identities. In particular, this paper focuses on the studies on the identities of English teachers in the Korean educational system. Major findings are as follows: First, based on the previous literature on teacher identities, teacher identities are defined as dynamic, multidimensional, and changing, as they continuously interact with individual, social, and cultural contexts. Second, it was found that studies have focused on (1) the meta-analyses of English teacher identities, (2) native-speaking English teacher identities, (3) the identities of non-native-speaking English teachers co-teaching with native-English-speaking teachers, (4) the identities of non-native-speaking English teachers including pre- and in-service teachers, and (5) teacher identity development through teacher education activities. Lastly, this paper brings up issues and suggestions on the formation and development of English teacher identities. It also offers directions for the future research on professional identities of second language teachers.

The presentation reports on a study of construction of teacher identity in Hong Kong under rapid education reforms and changing political environment. The presentation draws on insights from recent work of discourse theory and also results of a larger longitudinal study on teacher identity of two teams of language teachers in a relatively new primary school. A case study of a young Chinese language teacher exemplifies how teacher uses narrative resources to construct and negotiate teacher identities through social interaction. Findings of the case study underscore the ‘authorial stance’ of teachers in the process of construction of teacher identity.