Türkiye'nin kırsal bölgelerinde görev yapan yabancı dil olarak İngilizce öğretmenlerinin mesleki kimlik oluşumu üzerine nitel bir inceleme

This study aimed to investigate the professional identity construction of EFL teachers working at rural school in Turkey. The participants of the study were five EFL teachers working in four different geographical regions of Turkey at middle school level. The main research foci of the study are: (1) understanding the professional identity construction experiences of EFL teachers working at rural schools, (2) examining the influence of teaching context on professional identity construction of rural EFL teachers and, (3) identifying the needs and expectations of EFL teachers working at rural schools. Designed as a qualitative case study, the data collection tools were field visits, a metaphor elicitation task and semi-structured interviews. After taking field notes and employing a metaphor elicitation task, semi-structured interviews were conducted twice with each participant. The data analysis involved transcribing the data, and coding and categorizing procedures. The results of the study revealed insights about professional identity construction experiences of rural EFL teachers, the challenges about teaching English in a rural school, training and preparation needs of rural EFL teachers, and the impact of teaching contexts on practices and expectations of rural teachers. The findings of the study can be used to design preparation courses for pre-service EFL teachers and to plan professional development activities for rural EFL teachers.