Professional Identity Construction of Turkish EFL Teachers from the Pre-Service to the In-Service Stage: A Case Study

Identity construction has long been of interest to researchers investigating teacher education and applied linguistics in terms of its large contribution to the professional development of teachers as they move from observation into supervised teaching and beyond. A great deal of research has shown that identity construction is a dynamic and multifaceted phenomenon that allows teachers to take ownership of their professional work and instils confidence and a desire for improvement. Furthermore, the development of teachers' identities is important because a maladjusted professional identity can create negative repercussions for the teacher, students and institution. However, few studies have explored the professional identity development of novice English teachers who are non-native speakers of the language longitudinally. Thus, using a longitudinal case inquiry, this study reports on the professional identity construction trajectory of five novice teachers as informed by sociocultural perspectives in language teacher education in Turkey. Specifically, the study investigated the experience of five teachers during their pre-practicum, practicum and in-service phases and how these experiences affected their emerging professional identity-in-practice by highlighting the contextual constraints, personal challenges and community relationships they encountered. Data collection methods included participants’ reflective teaching narratives about the three phases, the teaching diaries they kept during their practice teaching and semi-structured interviews as well as supervisor field notes. The findings indicated a gentle and gradual transition occurred from an imagined context to the reality of teaching by realising the gap between theory and practice. This transition suggests an interwoven relationship between changes in the student teachers’ identities and modifications in their classroom practices. Accordingly, teachers may adapt and find ways of mitigating external difficulties through identity development.