Non-native English Language Teachers’ Stories: Constructing Cosmopolitan Professional Identities in Australia
30 April 2024, 4:00 – 5:15pm AEST, Online
Using the hermeneutic phenomenological narrative (HPN) approach, this research examined the professional identity construction of immigrant English language teachers (ELTs) in Australia, who speak English as a second or additional language. This study addressed two primary problems: the prevalent misrecognition of ELTs’ identity within the Australian context, rooted in the “binary logic” of native vs. non-native English-speaking teachers, and the underrepresentation of transnational ELTs’ entire life histories in language teacher PI research. Sixteen immigrant non-native English-speaking teachers participated. Data was generated and analysed using an innovative HPN methods within a hermeneutic phenomenological framework. This research probed the evolution of the ELTs’ professional identity from early childhood to the present, even projecting their future imagination of professional identity. The absence of a comprehensive theoretical frame for this scope led to the development of a new theoretical construct, “hybrid professional becoming.” This framework goes beyond the NES—NNEST binary, presenting a fluid identity shaped over time by transnational professional agency, ideologies of power, race, language, and cultural intersections. Central to this “hybrid professional becoming” were the determinants like the interaction of the ELTs’ desire in terms of “will to power” and body’s power of affecting and being affected in the identity formation process. Beyond the binary relations of NES—NNEST, through the practises of reflexivity; agency; solidarity; and productive imagination. This led to their emergence as cosmopolitan English teachers (CTEs), who transcend typical binary categorizations. Implications of this research point towards recognizing and endorsing this hybrid professional identity in various professional settings, offering a potential solution to Australia’s teacher shortage, and reinforcing multicultural values. Recognizing this hybridity can promote intercultural and ethical English language teacher capabilities and education, fostering a richer, more inclusive teaching and learning environment.
Speaker
Nashid Nigar
Nashid has over 20 years of English language and academic writing and development teaching experience across various educational sectors in Australia and abroad. Nashid has also completed a PhD on language teacher professional identity in Australia.
Cost
$10 – VicTESOL members (including members of other state TESOL associations affiliated with ACTA)
$30 – Non-members
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