Search

The current study is located among the body of language teacher identity research by focusing on the identities of pre-service language teachers in Japan. This study looks at how pre-service language teacher identities are situated among Japanese values and belief systems and investigates how participants are coping with disrupted language teacher identities as they are preparing to embark on teaching careers. Three pre-service teachers took part in this study, and data originated from narrative frames and semi-structured interviews. These participants are preparing for future employment as K-12 English teachers in Japan. Drawing upon grounded theory and Gross' (2015) process model of emotional regulation, findings illustrate the conflicted manner in which pre-service teachers are constructing their nascent language teacher identities against the backdrop of Japanese values and belief systems and the realities of teaching in Japan. In this context, the participants are approaching their future careers with deeply held emotions of both hope and dread, complicating the development of empowered language teacher identities. Additionally, this study found that the participants were able to employ Gross' (2015) emotional regulation strategies to varying degrees of success. This article concludes with implications for pre-service teachers and pre-service teacher training programs in Japan and abroad.

While the past two decades have witnessed a surge of studies on the researcher identity of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) academics, research on how the intertwined connections between EFL academics and the larger ecological system within an institution affect their researcher identity construction remains relatively scarce. Utilizing a three-tier system framework, this study seeks to address this gap by exploring how EFL academics (micro level) in China navigate the complexities of aligning their researcher identity (re)construction with institutional practices (meso level) of a national policy (macro level). Adopting a case study design, this study collected and triangulated data from three sources: semi-structured interviews, narrative frames, and document analysis. Data analysis revealed that there were (mis)alignments between EFL academics' research expectations of national research policy and interpretations of research policy at the institutional level, and participants adopted different responses in re-adjusting their research practices to align with research policy. The study implies the need for university administrators to take into account academics' disciplinary features, research values, and needs when implementing institutional research policies. Such an orientation provides more opportunities and resources to shape, rather than break, the researcher identities of EFL academics and ultimately facilitate the sustainable development of higher education.

Informed by Huber's (2021) framework of critical ethnography from a social justice perspective, this study aimed to (a) figure out how language teachers struggle for equity embedded within their socio-cultural contexts of schooling; (b) examine the micro, meso, and macro-factors affecting their identities with the impact of dominating ideologies; (c) uncover how they position themselves in challenging such practices and constraints. This study employs an exploratory qualitative case study design and an inductive data analysis method to document the voices of two in-service and three pre-service English language teachers and two teacher educators as professionals in K-12 school settings in Türkiye. The study addressed how ideologies stemming from power, authority, and institutional structures shape their ongoing teacher identity formation. As a result, language educators referred to oppression stemming from imposed decisions, decontextualized in-service and pre-service teacher training practices, and limited space for decision-making. Bringing in a social justice orientation, this study documented language educators' ways of challenging the dominant ideologies and schooling practices. This research brought voices from various layers to provide a composite picture of the potential gap(s) between their practice contexts and initial and in-service teacher-training practices.

In response to the need for graduates to tackle global, complex problems, higher education is increasing attention towards approaches that cross the boundaries of disciplinary thinking. However, while students can benefit from learning across disciplines, employability practitioners can also benefit. Transdisciplinary approaches can prompt practitioners to rethink career education, take charge of their professional development, and redefine their identity as borderless, ever-evolving transdisciplinary employability practitioners. Within this provocation, a transdisciplinary approach to learning is introduced and questions pertinent to the seven habits of a transdisciplinary mind are posed, intended to provoke converging perspectives on employability. By refocusing practitioners' employability perspectives, higher education can enhance its capacity for career-led learning and transform the identities of those working within it.

This hermeneutic phenomenology addressed the problem of falling teacher retention rates of K-12 teachers due to teacher burnout by exploring the lived experiences of teacher leaders and how they are motivated by physical artifacts. The theory framing this study is thing theory. Thing theory framed the study by exploring life experience and the relationship between teacher leaders and their things. The study offered additional information on the use of physical artifacts in qualitative research and the object discussion. This hermeneutic phenomenology used a triangulation of data collection including the semi-structured interview, object discussion, and in-person interviews. The research study setting was a K-12 charter school incorporated in rural Southeastern United States. The study included 16 teacher leaders from grades 2-12. Eligible candidates earned a qualifying score between 124 and 155 on the pre-screening survey, a valid and reliable tool adapted from two specific teacher leadership instruments. Findings suggest that teacher leadership creates positive experiences for teacher leadership and that physical artifacts motivate teacher leaders by creating a relational bridge and affirming professional choice.

This time capsule case study aims to examine the development of teacher identity among preservice teachers who are enrolled in the teacher education program at the Faculty of Education in Turkey, based on their beliefs about what makes a good teacher. At the beginning of the teacher education (BTE), pre-service teachers wrote an essay answering the questions 'What makes a good teacher?' and 'Do I believe that I will be a good teacher?' and put their essays in a time capsule. At the end of the teacher education (ETE), pre-service teachers read their essays and wrote a second essay answering the same questions. The findings show that teacher education and especially school practice have an impact on pre-service teachers' self-beliefs about being a good teacher. However, although the effects of teacher education are seen in the development of teacher identity, stable beliefs come to the fore and sociocultural influences play a role in beliefs that remain stable in teacher identity beliefs. In addition, it is seen that emotions such as love for the profession and love for children come to the fore in pre-service teachers' beliefs about being a good teacher. The findings provide evidence that emotions should not be ignored in teachers' professional development.

Vocational high schools in "3T" area on Bawean Island have limitations in human resources quality, equipment, production or practice tools, and industrial partnership, which differed from the vocational high schools located in advanced and developed areas. This research objective is to discover the description of employability to the vocational high school students in "3T" area in Bawean island. The research method applied was the qualitative method using the phenomenology approach. The data collection was obtained through semi-structured interviews. This research participant was eight students at vocational high school "X," "Y," "Z," and "W" schools in Bawean Island, which is one of the "3T" area. The analysis method in this research was content analysis. This research result shows that students in the "3T" area were showing their effort to prepare themselves in facing the job market by enhancing their employability in learning activities within the class or practice in the laboratory. The students' employability includes skills, knowledge, comprehension, personality, career identity, social and human relations, and personal adaptability. Students realize that they are in the "3T" area and must work harder to improve their work skills so as not to lose their jobs.

The present study investigates the application of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) as an innovative approach in second language teaching (SLT) to explore its impact on the professional identity of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers. Employing a sequential explanatory mixed methods design, the research involved 148 Iranian EFL teachers of both genders. The quantitative phase employed NLP and Teacher Professional Identity questionnaires, with a selected group of 20 teachers participating in a four-week NLP training workshop designed to enhance their understanding and application of NLP in classroom discourse. A researcher-designed observation checklist measured teachers' use of NLP techniques. The subsequent qualitative phase involved two rounds of semi-structured interviews with the workshop participants. Spearman rho analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between NLP and the professional identity of EFL instructors. Thematic analysis of qualitative data further affirmed NLP's potential to enhance teaching quality and contribute to teachers' professional identity development. These findings underscore the substantial role of NLP in positively influencing teachers' professional development.

This study aimed to investigate how English teachers' identity (ETI) levels vary based on different sociodemographic backgrounds in Algeria. To this end, a survey research design was adopted by utilizing a questionnaire as research instrument: The first of section elicits information about teachers' background information, including age, professional title, teaching experience, leadership position, salary level, and family condition. The second section is Yan's (2024) 19-item English Teacher Identity Measure (ETIM) to measure the teachers' levels of ETI, which consists of four indicators: self-efficacy (SE), future perspective (FP), teacher belief (TB), and career perception (CP). By using convenience sampling, an online questionnaire was emailed to 170 tertiary EFL teachers from different regions in Western Algeria, and 105 teachers voluntarily participated in this study. 30 of them participated in the pilot study and the remaining 75 teachers' responses were analyzed using SPSS. The data revealed significantly different ETI levels according to years of teaching experience. The findings showed that teachers who scored the lowest ETI levels were PhD holders, lecturers, teachers of the 1980s generation and middle-level leaders. This study informs teacher management and teacher educators of those particular teacher groups that need more support.

Language teaching has the potential not only to teach language skills but also to create a peaceful learning environment where students feel relaxed, safe and valued. To achieve this goal, teachers need to develop an ideal identity that reflects their commitment to promoting peace in their classrooms. In the interest of developing peacebuilder language teachers, this study investigated the ideal identity of English language teachers as peacebuilders, the strategies they employ to achieve their peacebuilder identities, and the manifestation of peace language: hope, help, and harmony (Oxford & Curtis, 2020). The narratives of three Iranian language teachers were thematically analyzed to understand their hopeful, helpful, and harmonious experiences. Our findings indicate that teachers' ideal peacebuilder selves are becoming 'an encouraging teacher', 'a more hopeful and caring teacher', and 'a patient teacher'. To achieve their peacebuilder identity, they proposed strategies such as encouraging students to communicate internationally, caring about students' success, pursuing academic studies, and improving emotion-regulation skills. The findings of this study contribute to incorporating peace in language education and developing peacebuilder language.

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) in education underscores transformative prospects for open and distributed learning, encompassing distance, hybrid, and blended learning environments. This qualitative study, grounded in narrative inquiry, investigates the experiences and perceptions of 141 preservice teachers engaged with AI, mainly through ChatGPT, over a 3-week implementation on Zoom to understand its influence on their evolving professional identities and instructional methodologies. Employing Strauss and Corbin's methodological approach of open, axial, and selective coding to analyze reflective narratives, the study unveils significant themes that underscore the dual nature of AI in education. Key findings reveal ChatGPT's role in enhancing educational effectiveness and accessibility while raising ethical concerns regarding academic integrity and balanced usage. Specifically, ChatGPT was found to empower personalized learning and streamline procedures, yet challenges involving information accuracy and data security remained. The study significantly contributes to teacher education discourse by revealing AI's complex educational impacts, highlighting an urgent need for comprehensive ethical AI literacy in teacher training curricula. However, critical ethical considerations and practical challenges involving academic integrity, information accuracy, and balanced AI use are also brought to light. The research also spotlights the need for responsible AI implementation in open and distributed learning to optimize educational outcomes while addressing potential risks. The study's insights advocate for future-focused AI literacy frameworks that integrate technological adeptness with ethical considerations, preparing teacher candidates for an intelligent digital educational landscape.

Teacher identity stems from personal identity and one's desires relative to their professional goals as a teacher. Understanding one's personal motivation to teach is a first step towards establishing a sense of teacher self while beginning to craft a personal identity as a teacher and a teacher identity in the classroom. The purpose of this study is to explore pre-service teachers' initial thoughts surrounding their teacher identity. This study looks at pre- and post-survey data collected during the first and last days of their first introduction to teaching course. Fifty-three pre-service teachers were asked the same survey questions on the first and last days of their first introductory STEM teaching course through which they planned and taught their first lesson. Findings suggest students gained significant insight into the role of the teacher in the classroom while also gaining greater understanding of how they see their personality aligning to the role of a classroom teacher. The results of this study indicate a recommendation to provide early field experience in teacher education curriculums.

Studies indicate that student teachers' engagement in continuous professional learning, (i.e., student teacher professional agency [STPA]), can improve their readiness for their careers. Unlike earlier qualitative studies often from the Global North, this research contributes geographical and methodological relevance to the literature by investigating STPA in a Brazilian teacher education program using a quantitative approach that aligns with an ecological understanding of STPA. A questionnaire assessing STPA, environmental (i.e., curriculum coherence and learning environment), and individual (i.e., teacher identity) factors was administered to 283 student teachers. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and network analysis. The student teachers' perceptions of (1) coherence between parts of the program, theory, and practice; (2) positive climate with their peers and mentors' recognition; and (3) teacher identity were the most relevant factors regulating STPA. These findings offer insights into developing a Brazilian teacher education curriculum to strengthen STPA.

Purpose: Vocational educators in many countries enter teaching as a second career and authentic occupational expertise is seen as essential to good quality VET. The changing contexts of VET and the growing diversity of its learning populations also demand the development of teaching expertise. This dual professionalism is related to a unique combination of an occupational and a teacher identity, however, prior, and mainly qualitative research from a limited number of VET contexts suggests that often one side of this duality prevails. Our study aimed to explore the professional identity of vocational educators in Hungary and to identify some of the factors that might influence its formation. Methods: We applied a mixed method design, conducting a teacher survey (N=138) and semi-structured interviews (N=12). The quantitative and qualitative strands followed a parallel design, exploring the same topics but identity views and the organisational context were studied more deeply in the interviews. In the survey, we measured professional identity through a direct question about its type as well as questions about the importance of specific goals and teacher competence areas in vocational teaching. We used statistical and thematic analyses to study our quantitative and qualitative data. Results: Most vocational educators in our study identified as both a teacher and a professional, though the type of identity varied by gender and length of occupational work experience. Perceptions about the main goals in teaching revealed vocation/outcome-focused and student/education-focused goal orientations influenced by gender, qualifications and work experience, while our qualitative data also showed the impact of school culture and the wider socio-economic context. The goal orientations identified in the survey were more balanced for those with a dual identity, and they correlated with perceptions about the importance of different teacher competence areas, which were most influenced by whether or not the educator had obtained a pedagogical qualification. Conclusion: Our findings showed that although most vocational educators also in Hungary claim to have a dual identity, they often prioritise the development of occupational expertise as they believe it is what gives them credibility that is seen as essential to "good VET". Considering the significant impact we have found of teacher education and continued work in the occupation on identity views, it seems of utmost importance that policy and schools recognise and support the development of both occupational and teacher expertise, to ensure a balanced dual identity that seems best suited for vocational teaching.

Interprofessional education (IPE) is critical for health professional students to form professional identities and develop collaborative skills. Although accrediting bodies mandate incorporating IPE, the effects of IPE programming on health professional students and the best pedagogical approach for achieving desirable outcomes are still unclear. In addition, specific effects of IPE within the context of experiential learning are not fully understood. That is, the literature has not presented a clear framework for structuring IPE programs, nor have outcome measures for IPE utilizing experiential learning (IPEEL) been established. The purpose of this study was to complete a grounded theory qualitative analysis of survey data from three cohorts of health professional students participating in an IPEEL elective course where students worked directly with children and their families. Pre- and post-survey responses identified how students perceived growth related to IPE competencies as a result of the IPEEL curriculum, as well as helped to develop a refined model of IPE specifically for experiential learning. Results indicated that overall students reported positive perceptions of IPE-related outcomes and positive outcomes related to the children and families they worked with, while confirming enabling and interfering factors that contribute to the IPE process. Future applications of the IPEEL model for IPE programming are recommended.

Purpose: Accounts for failures of merit pay in educational settings were stagnated by the "political obstruction hypothesis," which blamed teacher unions for impeding the merit pay schemes from proper function. It required stronger evidence from both public and private schools to refute this hypothesis. Design/Approach/Methods: Accountability typology was conceptualized to uncover the power relations underpinning merit pay schemes, and teachers' motivational status was described from the perspective of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to analyze the corresponding consequences. One public school and three private schools were purposefully sampled, and data included principal interviews, teacher interviews, school documents, and relevant policy documents. Findings: Our findings suggested an opposite conclusion to the "political obstruction hypothesis" that the more dependent on market, the more intense the conflict between external accountabilities and the nature of teaching. Thus, we supported the "nature of teaching hypothesis" that merit pay was inapplicable in educational settings due to the inherent contradictions between market accountability and professional accountability. Originality/Value: Policymakers and school administrators had been misled by the neoliberal initiative of borrowing merit pay into educational settings to promote the quality of teaching. Our findings provided strong evidence to refute this hypothesis and to restore the appreciation of professional autonomy.

This manuscript describes how one entry-level occupational therapy doctoral (OTD) program used an innovative approach to scaffolding assignments through a cognitive apprenticeship (CA) framework. Cognitive apprenticeship strategies include learning in the context or culture of the profession. This is achieved through observation, coaching, engagement, and discovery of strategies by the instructor. This framework was implemented to facilitate the learning of occupational, activity, and task (OAT) analyses through a four-week module within a first-semester foundations course. Cognitive apprenticeship constructs were used as instructional teaching strategies including active learning, group facilitated assignments, hands on observation, and immediate feedback and modeling of professional reasoning by the instructor. The assessment of findings supporting the effectiveness of the use of CA to implement this module included a mixed methods approach. A quantitative analysis of pre- and post-test surveys measuring confidence levels related to entry-level occupational therapy practice skills demonstrated that each survey item was statistically significant for increased confidence. A qualitative analysis of open-ended questions identified themes related to teaching strategies and the development of a foundational occupational therapy identity. The aim of this project is to expand the use of similar evidence-based applications for CA to progress student professional reasoning and occupational therapy practice skills while also supporting development of an emerging professional identity. This manuscript makes a substantive contribution to the teaching and application of analyses within OT education and the use of professional terminology, particularly the foundational understanding of the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework-IV and how it is applied in practice. The module demonstrated successful scaffolding of concepts built across several weeks. Cognitive apprenticeship constructs facilitated students' progression from novice to competent problem solvers within an OT context, which positively impacted the reported confidence of associated entry-level skills.

In the realm of English language teaching, EFL teachers' professional development is crucial for effectively navigating evolving educational environments that require the integration of technology into the educational landscape amid continuous technological advancements. A case study involving 5 EFL teachers from various domains and educational backgrounds was intended to dismantle the factors that influence EFL teachers' digital competence and how this competence is reflected in their professional identity (PI). DigCompEdu framework (Redecker & Punie, 2017) and teachers' personal interpretative (TPI) framework (Kelchtermans, 1993, 2009) guided the thematic analysis. Organizational communication, professional collaboration, and reflective practice were disclosed as contributing factors to support EFL teachers' PI development. Besides, task perception and job motivation were unraveled as digital competence reflected in EFL teachers' PI. In general, the accentuated data analysis pointed out EFL teachers possessed multiple identities that are alternate in social interaction and pedagogical implication. The findings are deemed valuable to inform the EFL teachers' excessive values and beliefs of digital competence in relation to their PI. Educational institutions, government, and other nested education stakeholders are suggested to equip practical supports towards EFL teachers' digital competence development. Finally, limitations of the study and suggestions for further research are discussed.

This article investigates two language teacher identity dilemmas encountered by EFL preservice teachers (PSTs) during their last practicum and how they navigated them to reconcile their identities. Dilemmas, characterised as inner conflicts and challenges PSTs face in resolving contradictory demands and different roles in their profession (Cabaroglu & Tillema, 2011), can illuminate how PSTs understand their teaching roles and language teacher identity (LTI) amidst the complexities of the teaching practice. The article begins by contextualising the study, presenting an overview of the ELT national curriculum and how this is reflected in the practicum. Next, an exploration of LTI and how dilemmas can serve as tools for reconciling this identity will be drawn. Lastly, findings and conclusions will be presented. This study suggests that a locally responsive ELT pedagogy could empower PSTs to better navigate and transform challenges into valuable learning-to-teach opportunities. Accordingly, caring emerged as a tool for PSTs to better navigate political dilemmas in underprivileged contexts. By integrating contextual knowledge into curricula, PSTs could align their language teaching identities with specific needs, enhancing student engagement, motivation, and success in diverse educational settings.

This paper explores the professional identities of four Filipino English teachers (FETs) who instruct international students at a language academy in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), a special district for the Philippines' globalization. Employing a narrative inquiry approach, data was gathered through individual interviews, and subsequently analyzed using a thematic analysis framework. The findings indicate that the participants assume three distinct roles within the academy. As experts in English language teaching, they consider themselves the equal of, or even superior to, native English-speaking teachers, which they attribute to their language proficiency, pedagogical skills, and content-based teaching. In their role as educational caretakers, they prioritize their students' well-being, providing motivation for English language learning, and offering emotional support. Furthermore, they identify themselves as international teachers, having deliberately chosen BGC as their career destination to foster multiculturalism and global citizenship. This study is of particular significance, as it scrutinizes the roles of FETs, frequently categorized as "non-native teachers," within the context of globalization.

Teaching in secondary education is mostly grounded in the practical wisdom of teachers. In general, teachers have limited knowledge of, access to, and interest in insights from scholarly work. Teacher research might be a way to move beyond practical wisdom as the only basis for good teaching. This study aimed to explore whether teacher research can encourage teachers' learning process as professionals, improve teaching practices, and generate knowledge about these practices. Participants were 44 experienced secondary school teachers in the Netherlands following a 2-year Master of Science professional development program on teaching and learning. Data was gathered using questionnaires, learner reports, a group interview, and participants' master theses. Thematic analyses of the combined data sources showed that the teachers report significant changes in the way they teach and think about teaching: they mentioned that they learned to take different perspectives when they are confronted with problems in their teaching and they reported being more focused in their teaching practice on what they want to change in their teaching. Concerning the third aim of generating knowledge, they mentioned challenges that are common for starting researchers such as how to formulate a researchable question, how to select relevant literature, how to deal with peer review, and how to perform situated generalization. We discuss what kind of educational research is valuable for teachers as learning professionals in secondary schools.

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.

Although the professional culture of designers has been emphasized as a peripheral issue in various fields of study in design, such as design culture and design management, it has rarely been the central topic of research. However, studies from other professional fields have demonstrated the significance of studying professional culture, especially its formation in higher educational contexts, as it has direct implications on professional status and career prospects of these professions' members. This paper aims to redress this gap by exploring how the professional culture acquired in industrial design education shapes industrial designers' work experiences in manufacturing companies? It focuses on the context of Turkey and empirically draws on interviews with industrial designers who have work experience in large-scale manufacturing companies. Interviews reveal insights into industrial designers' perceptions of the profession, experiences in undergraduate education, adaptations to professional life, and professional experiences in manufacturing companies where they collaborate with other professions, where cultural disconnect becomes visible. The qualitative data analysis highlighted the significance of being a community and having flexibility in space and time in industrial design's professional culture in the examined context. The findings underline collaboration and teaching of soft skills such as communication and teamwork as implications for industrial design education.

The impact of COVID-19 on the higher education sector has extended beyond using alternative technological methods. It has also influenced the professional identities of instructors themselves. This study aims to investigate EFL instructors' perceptions of the impact of online teaching on identity transformation during the COVID-19 lockdown. It also investigates how online teaching has affected teachers' professional identity in relevant aspects. The study was conducted during the first academic semester of 2022/2023. The researchers adopted a mixed research methodology that involved both quantitative and qualitative research techniques. A questionnaire was distributed to (44) EFL instructors, and semistructured interviews were conducted with (8) EFL instructors at the Department of Languages and Translation at a Palestinian University, Palestine. Appropriate quantitative and qualitative analyses were utilized to figure out participants' responses to the questionnaire and the interviews. The results of the survey revealed that online teaching positively influenced instructors' social relations with their colleagues and students, enhanced the teaching process, and promoted instructors' self-esteem. As for the interviews, the findings showed the substantial impact of online teaching on EFL instructors' identity in terms of their professional needs, self-awareness and self-esteem, relationships with learners, relationships with colleagues, and their perspectives towards their institution. Hence, some recommendations were suggested.

Sonography is a highly specialized diagnostic imaging profession facing significant workforce challenges due to increased service delivery demands and a shortage of clinical training opportunities. Developing sustainable solutions is crucial for workforce growth. Using examples from the Australian workforce and education context, this paper explores the current sonography training pathways available and the benefits and challenges of each, highlighting the importance of work-integrated learning (WIL) in facilitating the development of professional identity, clinical competence and the quality of sonographer education. Conclusions are drawn that WIL is integral to the future of the sonography profession to improve patient outcomes and address workforce shortages. However, effective implementation requires careful planning and consideration of many factors, including regulatory requirements, industry partnerships, student and supervisor/tutor support, and issues related to equitable access and participation in WIL. Key recommendations are provided to encourage ethical student learning, university-industry collaboration, effective resource allocation, and WIL-specific research.

The current study explores the TikTok identities of Thai university teachers and how those identities impact their professional identity as teachers. Five English as a Foreign Language (EFL) university teachers in Thailand voluntarily participated in semi-structured individual interviews. Findings obtained using an exploratory-descriptive qualitative research design confirmed existing findings that teachers' identities are multifaceted. However, in the context of a digital teacher's identity, teachers displayed unique identities (e.g., expressive, relational, adaptive, and progressive) that also shaped their identity as teacher-educators. Such identities impact their professional teacher's identity, allowing them to project an authentic teacher-self, become caring and approachable teachers to their students and colleagues, forge genuine connections, and implement pedagogical innovations and practices. The findings also acknowledge the profound influence of TikTok on teachers' identities and professional practices. Furthermore, this study highlights the convergence of technology and social media platforms as influential in constructing a teacher's professional identity and promoting pedagogical advances. The findings offer a significant contribution, shedding light on the potential advantages of using TikTok within the teaching and learning process.

Scholars' engagement with digital social networks is complex, warranting a comprehensive understanding of their use and participation. Current research has not yet grasped the motivators, gratification, and challenges that academics encounter across multiple digital social networks. With this in mind, this study surveyed scholars who purposely participate in digital social networks for professional endeavors. The theoretical frameworks guiding this research are the Uses and Gratification framework and the networked participatory scholarship conceptualization. A total of 307 higher education scholars completed an electronic survey with closed and open-ended questions. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and a team-coding approach for qualitative data. The results of this investigation highlight specific motivators for using digital social networks to support the scholar's teaching, research, and professional development. The results of this investigation suggest that scholars are constantly navigating challenges and trading them off against the benefits. The results of this investigation also helped determine the imagined audiences that scholars perceive as potential spectators when using digital social networks for their scholarly efforts. The results illustrate the many reasons provided by scholars, which aligned with the self-presentation and impression management theory.

This case-study examines how first-year educators renegotiated their teacher identities as they transitioned from pre-service teachers (PSTs) to professionals. Both participants graduated from the same Teacher Education Program (TEP) and conducted their student internship in the same school as their first year of teaching. The results of this study have unique implications on first-year teachers working in the location of their student internships, as they reported isolation, internalized infantilization, and inconsistent identities. The author argues for TEPs to intentionally prepare PSTs for navigating this transition, and challenge preconceived notions of the benefits of student teaching and working in the same K-12 institution.

Teacher identity is the reflection of teachers' perception, position, and identification as teachers. Teachers' identities are dynamic and continuously negotiated by the interplay of their professional practices, past experiences, and contextual conditions. Drawing on this understanding, this study explores Chinese English teachers' professional identities within a private English institution in China. Research data was collected through semi-structured interviews with six Chinese English teachers from one private English institution. Interview data was analysed thematically. The study results revealed common teacher identities as advocates of learner autonomy, struggling teachers for higher-level students and sources of students' learning motivation. Specifically, teachers were challenged in cultivating autonomous students by institutional and sociocultural contextual obstacles. They were also in a challenging situation to improve the effectiveness of teaching higher level students. However, teachers exhibited positive perceptions towards their influence on students' learning motivation reflected in their effort to actively establish teacher-student relationships and utilize facilitative teacher roles. The research findings suggest the need for designing more effective teacher trainings, improving teachers' working conditions and a call for re-evaluating English language learning among Chinese students.

The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate the way Hungarian primary language teachers coped with emergency remote teaching (ERT) introduced during the Covid-19 epidemic and the effects this mode of teaching exerted on their subsequent face-to-face teaching practice. While there are scores of studies written on the subject, hardly any have focussed on primary language education; hence our choice of the primary school sample. Out of a multi-item online questionnaire forwarded to all the primary schools in Hungary, we decided to focus on the last two items only, namely those which requested the 706 volunteering respondents to suggest two metaphors with concomitant brief explanations: one to describe their experiences of online teaching in 2020, and another one to specify the changes they perceived in their professional attitudes and competences by the time of administering the survey in 2022. The results demonstrate a decisively positive shift as the respondents realised that the digital expertise that they had gained during ERT would help them teach more effectively in the "real" classroom. The study also raises the issue of what educational authorities and teacher educators should do to promote digital education in pre- and in-service training.

Netnography, a qualitative research approach, entails observing, analysing, and interpreting online data. This netnography explores how teacher agency, emotion regulation, and professional identity were enacted by a novice Chinese language teacher in response to emergency remote teaching (ERT) in Australia amid the global pandemic. Ecologically sound, netnography creates uncoerced spaces to allow participants to have their voices heard, thus enabling researchers to discover nuanced patterns linked to the social-emotional state and wellbeing of the community members, regarding fears, tensions, and resilience triggered by ERT. Multiple data sources were triangulated from the teacher's reflective journal, digital teaching artifacts, debriefing sessions, interviews, and online questionnaire responses. Thematic analysis reveals teacher identity was re-envisioned through crisis teaching pedagogy and the regulation of negative emotions to facilitate agency, which reciprocally bolstered teacher identity. The findings also indicate teacher identity development is challenged and shaped by negotiating a new role in remote teaching, thus impacting pre-ERT identity. Hence, the emotion regulation trajectory of ERT can stimulate and encourage technology enhanced professional learning as teacher agency and resilience reinforce a new identity reimagined as a capable online teacher. By situating novice teacher agency, emotion regulation, and emerging identity in crisis teaching, this netnographic research conceptualises how ERT presents not only challenges for novice teachers' identity development and emotion but also the sustainability and empowerment of online teaching and professional growth of impacted teachers of Asian languages.

In this paper, we, two transnational doctoral students and language educators of color, engage in a reflexive dialogic conversation focusing on the positionality of our identities. Utilizing duoethnography research methodology, we explored our academic and professional journeys in post-secondary education in our home countries and an Anglophone context. A discussion on negotiating our positionalities in our immediate academic, professional, and sociocultural contexts is provided. We argued that unveiling one's positionality requires a prolonged reflexive engagement that assists in establishing quality in qualitative research and exploring fluidity in positionality. We closed with implications and invitations to use duoethnography as a path to self-exploration, solidarity, and allyship.

Educators of International Teaching Assistants (ITAs) have been overlooked, erroneously. As teacher educators, their work is exponentially important to North American universities. A multiple case study examined three ITA Educators' ideologies, involving data from two interviews -one being a stimulated recall using classroom observations fieldnotes, syllabi, assignments, and feedback left on students' work. Through qualitative content analysis, two incompatible ideologies were found being implemented in sections of one class: one orienting learners to undergraduate classrooms, and the other towards passing mandatory language testing. Cynicism was found to characterize two instructors' pedagogies. Findings highlight the ethical complexities of language teaching and assessment. ITA training programs must address foundational issues and examine how ITA Educators are supported. This novel study provides a baseline for future work on ITA Educators, and contributes to literature on language teachers' ideologies. Future work should elucidate how ITA Educators' identities and external ideologies impact ITAs' learning trajectories.

The vast majority of Chinese universities have embraced higher education reform that emphasizes a "publish or perish" ideology. This brings challenges to the early-career academics, especially those working in language-related fields. This paper employs a multiple case study to explore the identity tension of early career academics in applied linguistics. The three cases had diverse backgrounds and demonstrated different identity trajectories. Data were triangulated through narrative frames, interviews, and documents. Data analysis was conducted using an inductive approach that focused on interpreting the underlying meanings within the data, drawing upon relevant theoretical frameworks for guidance. The findings revealed an array of identity options (e.g., "temporary worker", "blind follower", "green pepper", "leek"). The factors that shaped the identity construction included the shifting value of being a teacher and researcher, intensified "publish-or-perish" ideology, and changing institutional and societal systems and requirements. Implications on teacher development for early-career academics in applied linguistics were proposed based on the findings.

This study investigated the relationship between self-perceived personality and self-perceived teacher identity (TI). With a mixed-method approach, we collected both quantitative (N=214) and qualitative data (N=30) to examine the relationship between TI and personality traits. Quantitative data were collected using the Big Five Personality Traits and TI scales. Qualitative data were collected through focus group interviews. To analyze the quantitative data, means were compared, and correlations were calculated. Qualitative data were analyzed through an inductive content analysis in which patterns and themes were identified. The results indicate that pre-service language teachers are aware of the dynamic feature of personality in general terms; however, they are not aware of TI as a concept and its attributes. A significant relationship between self-perceived TI and self-perceived personality traits is among the results of the current study. The agreeableness and openness to new experiences personality traits are highly correlated with the TI scores.

The purpose of this study was to examine the professional identity development of preservice preschool teachers. In this research, currere method, which is an educational autobiography creation technique, was used. A total of 20 Turkish female preservice preschool teachers participated in the study. The data of research was collected via autobiographies written by preservice preschool teachers. The results indicate that preservice preschool teachers were influenced by their families and by their passionate teachers in their past educational life. Also, the future expectations of preservice teachers have an effect on their present educational experiences. In addition, preservice teachers stated that the autobiographical writing process providing them with the opportunity to review their past, present and future expectations. They stated that this opportunity helped them get to know themselves better and structuring their ideas about their personal and professional lives.

Teacher assessment identity (TAI) is an integral element of quality assessment practice and professionalism, which has been widely overlooked in teacher education research. To bridge this gap, the present study explored the dynamism of TAI through an explicit training course. To do so, 22 novice and experienced Iranian EFL teachers completed a questionnaire on TAI before and after the course. Then both novice and experienced teachers attended a 16-hour treatment in which various assessment dimensions were taught. The participants also completed tasks reflecting TAI components. Moreover, five novice and five experienced EFL teachers were interviewed. The results of the independent samples t-test indicated that novice and experienced Iranian EFL teachers did not significantly differ regarding their assessment identity before and after the treatment despite improvements in their mean scores. However, the results of paired samples t-test revealed that the formal intervention has developed the TAI of both novice and experienced groups. This was substantiated by qualitative findings which demonstrated that, owing to the training, novice teachers manifested TAI in 16 domains while experienced teachers showed their identity as assessors in five domains. The study offers promising implications for EFL teachers and trainers, who can realize the dynamism of TAI and its core dimensions in light of instruction.

To achieve better quality and efficiency of care and services for clients, social and health care professionals should be educated to adopt an interprofessional way of working and thinking. This requires the development of an interprofessional identity alongside a professional identity. The process must be facilitated comprehensively in social and health care operations. The aim of this observational and cross-sectional mixed-method study was to investigate readiness and perceived development needs concerning interprofessional work among social and health care students and professionals. Furthermore, the aim was to examine the formation of an interprofessional identity in relation to the theoretical framework of interprofessional socialization. In our results, development needs, expressed by the respondents, were categorized at the system, profession, and individual levels of social and health care. Although, positive attitudes were established among students and professionals, our findings demonstrate that the formation of an interprofessional identity requires comprehensive support from social and health care operations. Interprofessional identity can be enhanced especially by applying and developing interprofessional education and lifelong learning.

Institutional politics and emerging changes to the professoriate have potentially positioned tenure-track faculty within an academic labor system that assumes academic training and expertise guides their progression. This qualitative narrative study of 12 higher education and student affairs (HESA) pre-tenure faculty explored their navigation of tenure experiences at their institutions. Participants shared personal and professional challenges related to tenure in which they were challenged to negotiate academic and student affairs professional identities. Personal challenges included strained personal lives and relationships with feelings of isolation or loneliness. These findings offer insight into HESA pre-tenure faculty experiences as an avenue to better support this unique population. Study implications center equitable practices and community building.

Teacher career plateaus hinder the high-quality development of teaching staff. Based on a nationwide questionnaire survey on Chinese kindergarten teachers' career plateaus, this study developed a kindergarten teacher career plateauing structural model. The research findings indicate that overall career plateauing among Chinese kindergarten teachers is at a moderate level. The kindergarten teacher career plateauing model is best represented by the second-order single-factor/first-order three-factor structure, which consists of three dimensions: professional development, hierarchical, and emotional plateauing. Among these dimensions, emotional plateauing is most intensively perceived by teachers. Telltale signs of kindergarten teacher career plateauing range from stagnation of professional progress to losses of senses of meaning in work, constrained promotion of professional titles, slim chances of promotion to higher positions, fading positive emotional engagement, and increased negative workplace emotions. Implications of the study for building a professionalized preschool teaching force include emphases on teachers' long-range career planning and their agency in career advancement. Special attention should be paid to their emotional needs. [Note: The page range (3123-3148) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct page range is 3123-3147.]

A growing interest in teacher identity and decision-making has emerged in language teaching; however, studies where English language teaching (ELT) educators reflect on their own practice are limited. We engaged in a self-study to understand how our experiences influenced our ELT educator identity at a public university in Colombia. A constructivist paradigm enabled us to focus on intra and interpersonal reflection as we created artifacts and met to discuss our teaching experiences. Using collaborative analysis, we developed our main themes represented by a red poppy. Based on the findings, our teaching identity is shaped by our families and teachers (roots), teaching misconceptions (leaves), new teaching experiences (new blossoms), other identities (petals), world views about education (cotton soul), and social justice agenda (seeds of change).

Appraisal processes are a requirement for professionals working in the education sector. Often appraisal processes do not focus on strengths, rather, it becomes a process of meeting pre-determined requirements. This article takes a strength-based approach to appraisal and discusses a study which pilots the use of an Appreciative Growth Cycle process. The study focused on the growth of future professional practice within an organisational team. An Appreciative Inquiry methodology (Cooperrider & Srivastva, 1987) guided the study. The purpose of the study was to trial the feasibility and application of the Appreciative Growth Cycle process for its possible use across a wider organisational context. The research question therefore that drove the study was: In what ways might the use of an Appreciative Growth Cycle process be applied within a wider organisational context?

The notion of "professional" is built on a concept of traditionally male professions and patriarchal social orders. ECEC (early childhood education and care), however, is a female-dominated field characterised by its unique caring practice. This study investigated how a group of Australian early childhood preservice teachers presented themselves professionally on social media, in relation to respective infant (0-2) and kindergarten (3-5) practica. Data were drawn from focus group discussions about how the participants shared their practicum experiences on Instagram. The paper is guided by Foucault's concepts of self writing. Findings are organised around four themes of self-writing processes: collecting, selecting, annotating, and managing time and tasks. Two narratives are revealed. In the context of the kindergarten placement, the posts constituted a journey of continuous improvement against all odds. In contrast, the infant placement experiences evoked a sense of struggle and renunciation. The paper concludes with implications for further study beyond the Australian context.

This article examines the power dynamics underpinning performance management at a selected South African university. It specifically employs Michel Foucault's (1977) ideas on Governmentality to interpret the envisioning of performance management in this context at the level of Policy. The study employed a qualitative research methodology to address the questions at hand. Data were generated from one primary source: a discourse analysis of the Performance Management Policy (2013) at a selected university in South Africa. Using Michel Foucault's (1991) theories on governmentality, a discourse analysis of Performance Management Policy documents was conducted with the goal of critically interrogating the kinds of new academic subjectivities being created in South African higher education. The findings show that the Policy on Performance Management at the university in question works towards creating academic subjects which conform with the university's expectations and are consistently self- regulated. Findings also show that management of academics is constantly controlled and regulated by a powerful matrix of governance, comprising the university and the wider global community. This paper recommends that performance management discourses should take into stronger cognizance the matter of academic freedom and autonomy. We further recommend that Policy developers and management teams at universities be conscious of the complex forces of power that shape academic identities so that their policies move away from oppressive discourses. We argue that there is much we can learn from governmentality theory if we hope to build more just and equitable societies going forward.

With the precipitous changes of the platform formerly known as Twitter, brought on by the change of ownership in late 2022, many networked educators sought, and continue to seek, new digital spaces to continue fostering and developing their digital practice. The authors of this article had all been actively networked on Twitter, and wanted to explore these changes in their professional worlds. As we sought out these spaces we critically began to interrogate our own practices on this platform to gain a deeper understanding of our practice going forward. We've approached this exploration through three vectors: an examination of the terms we use to describe movement from platform to platform, digital identity formation and disruption, and building human connection in digital spaces. The findings from our exploration yielded the following conclusions: (1) With regard to metaphors of movement (i.e., "migration") we leave space open as to which metaphor to use as no metaphor is a perfect fit to explain the complexity of this phenomenon. (2) Digital identity/ies are multifaceted and sometimes place-specific, but some networked affordances seemed to encourage an ever-evolving digital identity more than other spaces. (3) Finally, digital spaces afford us the ability to carve out our own communities from the wider academic community, in the process developing a more owned and voiced identity. However as social media platforms are fleeting, those connections -- and identities -- are in danger of getting co-opted or deleted as platforms rise and fall.

This study explores "non-native" English teacher identity development, and identity in practice in a multilingual international school in Thailand. Guided by the teacher's personal interpretative framework (Kelchtermans, 1993) and identity-in-practice theory (Varghese et al., 2005), the study employed a narrative inquiry design using life story interviews, classroom observations, and shadowing technique for the data collection. The three "non-native" English teacher participants were purposefully selected. The data were analyzed by using the inductive coding method (Saldaña, 2009), consisting of three analysis steps: open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. The data revealed that teacher identity development was characterized by solid confidence in their "non-native" status and their teaching abilities as English teachers due to professional qualifications, proficiency in English, and teaching experiences. However, it was revealed that their "non-native" status were affected by external factors (parents and colleagues), weakening their self-esteem and job motivation. This study emphasizes the importance of English proficiency level and qualifications in building confidence among non-native English teachers. Additionally, a supportive socio-cultural environment inside the school is key to support their positive identity and maintain their confidence.