Investigation of the Novice TCSOL Teacher Identity Construction Via Dynamic Systems Model of Role Identity

Shipeng Cui, Yu He, Ingeborg Birnie

Abstract


This qualitative case study investigates the identity construction of novice language teachers in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (TCSOL) within Thailand. Framing teacher identity as a complex dynamic system, the study employs the Dynamic Systems Model of Role Identity (DSMRI) to explore how these teachers (re)define and (re)negotiate their identities. Data were collected via unstructured and semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions, using metaphors to prompt participants to reflect on the questions. Analyzing participants’ beliefs, goals, self-perceptions, and perceived action possibilities across various role identities, the study finds they remain in a continuous ‘learner’ state and experience shifts from idealism to realism in their professional views. The study highlights a misalignment between the current TCSOL practicum format and actual teaching practice, hindering professional development and identity construction.Furthermore, novice TCSOL teacher identity is significantly influenced by the social and political contexts and reinforced through organizing cultural activities. Participants hold beliefs and goals extending beyond language teaching, emphasizing the mutual impact of personal behavior on national image and international relations.The paper calls on the Chinese academic community to increase its focus on empirical research on (TCSOL) teacher identities. This research contributes to addressing the gap in studies on teacher identity in regions such as Asia and explores the identity construction of transnational foreign language teachers beyond English.


Full Text:

PDF

References


Akkerman, S. F., & Meijer, P. C. (2011). A dialogical approach to conceptualizing teacher identity. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(2), 308–319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.08.013

Armstrong, S. L., Davis, H. S., & Paulson, E. J. (2011). The Subjectivity Problem: Improving Triangulation Approaches in Metaphor Analysis Studies. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 10(2), 151–163. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940691101000204

Beauchamp, C., & Thomas, L. (2009). Understanding teacher identity: an overview of issues in the literature and implications for teacher education. Cambridge Journal of Education, 39(2), 175–189. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057640902902252

Beauchamp, C., & Thomas, L. (2011). New teachers’ identity shifts at the boundary of teacher education and initial practice. International Journal of Educational Research, 50(1), 6–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2011.04.003

Beijaard, D., Koopman, M., & Schellings, G. (2022). Reframing Teacher Professional Identity and Learning. The Palgrave Handbook of Teacher Education Research, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59533-3_28-1

Beijaard, D., Meijer, P. C., & Verloop, N. (2004). Reconsidering research on teachers’ professional identity. Teaching and Teacher Education, 20(2), 107–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2003.07.001

Brandão, A. C. de L. (2021). First experiences of teaching EFL in metaphors. Teaching and Teacher Education, 97, 103214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103214

Buchanan, R. (2015). Teacher identity and agency in an era of accountability. Teachers and Teaching, 21(6), 700–719. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2015.1044329

Caspersen, J., & Raaen, F. D. (2014). Novice teachers and how they cope. Teachers and Teaching, 20(2), 189–211. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2013.848570

Chen, B., & Huang, J. (2022). Toward a framework for understanding translation and interpreting teacher role identity. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.980196

Chen, C., Ji, S., & Jiang, J. (2023). How does professional identity change over time among Chinese preservice preschool teachers? Evidence from a four-wave longitudinal study. Teaching and Teacher Education, 125, 104071. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104071

Chong Ewe, L., & Min, F. (2021). Teaching Chinese Language Outside of China: The Case of Chinese Teachers in Thailand. Asia-Pacific Social Science Review, 21(4).

Cobb, D. J. (2022). Metaphorically drawing the transition into teaching: What early career teachers reveal about identity, resilience and agency. Teaching and Teacher Education, 110, 103598. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103598

Dang, T. K. A. (2013). Identity in activity: Examining teacher professional identity formation in the paired-placement of student teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 30, 47–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2012.10.006

de Guerrero, M. C. M., & Villamil, O. S. (2002). Metaphorical conceptualizations of ESL teaching and learning. Language Teaching Research, 6(2), 95–120. https://doi.org/10.1191/1362168802lr101oa

Derakhshan, A., & Nazari, M. (2023). “I am Fed Up with the Criticisms”: Examining the Role of Emotional Critical Incidents in a Novice Teacher’s Identity Construction. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-022-00666-1

Erickson, L. B., & Pinnegar, S. (2016). Consequences of personal teaching metaphors for teacher identity and practice. Teachers and Teaching, 23(1), 106–122. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2016.1203774

Fahad Alfayez, A. (2022). Saudi Female Teachers’ Identity Through the Use of Metaphors. Arab World English Journal, 13(3), 139–158. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol13no3.9

Fantilli, R. D., & McDougall, D. E. (2009). A study of novice teachers: Challenges and supports in the first years. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(6), 814–825. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2009.02.021

Farrell, T. S. C. (2016). Surviving the transition shock in the first year of teaching through reflective practice. System, 61(61), 12–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2016.07.005

Flum, H., & Kaplan, A. (2012). Identity formation in educational settings: A contextualized view of theory and research in practice. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 37(3), 240–245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2012.01.003

Gao, Y., & Cui, Y. (2021). To arrive where you are: A metaphorical analysis of teacher identity change in EAP reform. Teaching and Teacher Education, 104, 103374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103374

Garner, J. K., & Kaplan, A. (2018). A complex dynamic systems perspective on teacher learning and identity formation: an instrumental case. Teachers and Teaching, 25(1), 7–33. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2018.1533811

Gatbonton, E. (2008). Looking beyond teachers’ classroom behaviour: Novice and experienced ESL teachers’ pedagogical knowledge. Language Teaching Research, 12(2), 161–182. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168807086286

Gu, M. (Michelle), & Benson, P. (2014). The formation of English teacher identities: A cross-cultural investigation. Language Teaching Research, 19(2), 187–206. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168814541725

Han, Y., & Ji, X. (2021). Chinese Self, Australian Other: Chinese as a Foreign Language Teacher Identity Construction in Australian Contexts. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.792004

Hathcock, S. J., Garner, J. K., & Kaplan, A. (2020). Examining micro‐change within and among science teachers’ identities: A multiple case study. Science Education, 104(5). https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21577

Heffernan, K. A., & Newton, K. J. (2019). Exploring mathematics identity: an intervention of early childhood preservice teachers. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 40(3), 296–324. https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2019.1590484

Hong, J., Day, C., & Greene, B. (2018). The construction of early career teachers’ identities: coping or managing? Teacher Development, 22(2), 249–266. https://doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2017.1403367

Hong, J., Dionne Cross Francis, & Schutz, P. A. (2024). Reconceptualizing teacher identity development. Educational Psychologist, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2023.2292713

Hu, Y., Sun, Y., & Lien, D. (2022). The Resistance and Resilience of National Image Building: An Empirical Analysis of Confucius Institute Closures in the USA. The Chinese Journal of International Politics, 15(2), 209–226. https://doi.org/10.1093/cjip/poac010

Izadinia, M. (2013). A review of research on student teachers’ professional identity. British Educational Research Journal, 39(4), 694–713. https://doi.org/10.1080/01411926.2012.679614

KANNO, Y., & STUART, C. (2011). Learning to Become a Second Language Teacher: Identities-in-Practice. The Modern Language Journal, 95(2), 236–252. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2011.01178.x

Kaplan, A., & Garner, J. K. (2017). A complex dynamic systems perspective on identity and its development: The dynamic systems model of role identity. Developmental Psychology, 53(11), 2036–2051. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000339

Karimi, M. N., & Mofidi, M. (2019). L2 teacher identity development: An activity theoretic perspective. System, 81, 122–134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2019.02.006

Kayi-Aydar, H. (2019). Language teacher identity. Language Teaching, 52(3), 281–295. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444819000223

Kövecses, Z. (2010). Metaphor: a Practical Introduction. Oxford University Press.

Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by. University of Chicago Press.

Lasky, S. (2005). A sociocultural approach to understanding teacher identity, agency and professional vulnerability in a context of secondary school reform. Teaching and Teacher Education, 21(8), 899–916. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2005.06.003

Lefebvre, J., Lefebvre, H., & Lefebvre, B. (2022). Reflection of novice teachers on their teaching practice. Reflective Practice, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2022.2056883

Lindqvist, H., Weurlander, M., Wernerson, A., & Thornberg, R. (2017). Resolving feelings of professional inadequacy: Student teachers’ coping with distressful situations. Teaching and Teacher Education, 64, 270–279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.02.019

Liu, X. (2019). So Similar, So Different, So Chinese: Analytical Comparisons of the Confucius Institute with its Western Counterparts. Asian Studies Review, 43(2), 256–275. https://doi.org/10.1080/10357823.2019.1584602

Liu, Y., & Li, X. (2023). A Narrative Inquiry of Transnational Language Teachers’ Professional Identity Construction. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2022.2160332

Ma, X., & Gao, X. (2017). Metaphors used by pre-service teachers of Chinese as an international language. Journal of Education for Teaching, 43(1), 71–83. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2016.1182372

Meijer, P. C. (2017). Essential Issues in Developing a Professional Identity as a Teacher. New Frontiers of Educational Research, 207–223. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3549-4_12

Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2020). Qualitative Data Analysis: a Methods Sourcebook (4th ed.). Sage.

Nazari, M., & De Costa, P. I. (2022). Contributions of a Professional Development Course to Language Teacher Identity Development: Critical Incidents in Focus. Journal of Teacher Education, 002248712110591. https://doi.org/10.1177/00224871211059160

Nazari, M., De Costa, P. I., & Karimpour, S. (2023). Novice language teacher identity construction: similarities, differences, and beyond. Educational Linguistics, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1515/eduling-2022-0013

Olsen, B., Buchanan, R., & Hewko, C. (2022). Recent Trends in Teacher Identity Research and Pedagogy. The Palgrave Handbook of Teacher Education Research, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59533-3_80-1

Pan, S. (2013). Confucius Institute project: China’s cultural diplomacy and soft power projection. Asian Education and Development Studies, 2(1), 22–33. https://doi.org/10.1108/20463161311297608

Pillen, M., Beijaard, D., & Brok, P. den. (2013). Tensions in beginning teachers’ professional identity development, accompanying feelings and coping strategies. European Journal of Teacher Education, 36(3), 240–260. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2012.696192

Repnikova, M. (2022). Rethinking China’s Soft Power: “Pragmatic Enticement” of Confucius Institutes in Ethiopia. The China Quarterly, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0305741022000340

Richards, J. C. (2023). Teacher, Learner and Student-Teacher Identity in TESOL. RELC Journal, 54(1), 003368822199130. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688221991308

Rodgers, C. R., & Scott, K. H. (2008). The development of the personal self and professional identity in learning to teach. In In Handbook of Research on Teacher Education (pp. 732–755). Routledge.

Ruohotie-Lyhty, M., & Moate, J. (2016). Who and how? Preservice teachers as active agents developing professional identities. Teaching and Teacher Education, 55, 318–327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.01.022

Sachs, J. (2005). Teacher education and the development of professional identity: learning to be a teacher 1. In Connecting policy and practice. In Connecting Policy and Practice (pp. 5–21). Routledge.

Sang, Y. (2022). Research of Language Teacher Identity: Status Quo and Future Directions. RELC Journal, 53(3), 003368822096156. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220961567

Sang, Y. (2023). Uncovering language socialization mechanisms in language teacher identity formation: An ethnographic study in a Chinese culture class. Linguistics and Education, 73, 101138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2022.101138

Schellings, G., Koopman, M., Beijaard, D., & Mommers, J. (2021). Constructing configurations to capture the complexity and uniqueness of beginning teachers’ professional identity. European Journal of Teacher Education, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2021.1905793

STARR, D. (2009). Chinese Language Education in Europe: the Confucius Institutes. European Journal of Education, 44(1), 65–82. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1465-3435.2008.01371.x

Sun, P. P. (2021). Understanding the Sustainable Development of L2 Chinese Teachers in New Zealand: A Case Study of Teaching Assistants’ Motivational Engagement in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language. Sustainability, 13(10), 5521. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105521

Sun, P. P., Wang, Y., Lv, Y., & Li, Z. (2022). Novice Chinese as a foreign language teachers’ identity construction in primary schools in New Zealand from positioning and affordance perspectives. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.979803

Thomas, L., & Beauchamp, C. (2011). Understanding new teachers’ professional identities through metaphor. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(4), 762–769. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.12.007

Trent, J. (2012). The Discursive Positioning of Teachers: Native-Speaking English Teachers and Educational Discourse in Hong Kong. TESOL Quarterly, 46(1), 104–126. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.1

TSUI, A. B. M. (2007). Complexities of Identity Formation: A Narrative Inquiry of an EFL Teacher. TESOL Quarterly, 41(4), 657–680.

https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1545-7249.2007.tb00098.x

Varghese, M., Morgan, B., Johnston, B., & Johnson, K. A. (2005). Theorizing Language Teacher Identity: Three Perspectives and Beyond. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 4(1), 21–44. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327701jlie0401_2

Walkington, J. (2005). Becoming a teacher: encouraging development of teacher identity through reflective practice. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 33(1), 53–64. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866052000341124

Wang, L., & Du, X. (2014). Chinese Teachers’ Professional Identity and Beliefs about the Teacher-Student Relationships in an Intercultural Context. Frontiers of Education in China, 9(3), 429–455. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf03397030

Wang, R., Elahi Shirvan, M., & Taherian, T. (2021). An Ecological Study of Identity in Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Light of the Dynamic Systems Model of Role Identity. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.799418

Wei, G. (2021). Imagined professional identity: A narrative inquiry into a Chinese teacher’s perezhivaniya in life. Teaching and Teacher Education, 102, 103337. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103337

Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity. Cambridge University Press.

Xinhua, N. (2020). Xinhua Adapting to the development of international Chinese language education: Ministry of Education establishes a centre for language education and cooperation - Xinhuanet Www.xinhuanet.com. http://www.xinhuanet.com/world/2020-07/05/c_1126198982.htm

Xu, S., & Connelly, F. M. (2022). Reciprocal learning between Canada and China in teacher education and school education: Partnership studies of practice in cultural context. Frontiers of Education in China, 12(2), 135–150. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11516-017-0013-6

Yang, S., Shu, D., & Yin, H. (2021). “Frustration drives me to grow”: Unraveling EFL teachers’ emotional trajectory interacting with identity development. Teaching and Teacher Education, 105, 103420. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103420

Yazan, B. (2018). conceptual framework to understand language teacher identities. Journal of Second Language Teacher Education, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.1558/slte.24908

Zhu, G., Rice, M., Li, G., & Zhu, J. (2022). EFL Student Teachers’ Professional Identity Construction: A Study of Student-Generated Metaphors Before and After Student Teaching. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2020.1777872

Zhu, J., & Zhu, G. (2018). Understanding student teachers’ professional identity transformation through metaphor: an international perspective. Journal of Education for Teaching, 44(4), 500–504. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2018.1450819




DOI: https://doi.org/10.51383/ijonmes.2024.387

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Bookmark and Share


Copyright (c) 2025 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.