EFL Student Teachers' Professional Identity Construction: A Study of Student-Generated Metaphors Before and After Student Teaching. Issue 2 (4th March 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhu, Gang; Rice, Mary; Li, Guofang; Zhu, Jinfei
• Is Part Of: Journal of language, identity, and education. Volume 21:Issue 2(2022)
• Page Start: 83
• Page End: 98
• Publication Date: 2022-03-04
• Subjects: EFL student teachers -- metaphor -- professional identity -- teaching practicum; Language and education -- Periodicals; Multicultural education -- Periodicals; 306.44
• DOI: 10.1080/15348458.2020.1777872
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1534-8458

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Metaphors are powerful windows to gain insight into EFL teachers' professional identity constructions. This study examined 33 Chinese EFL student teachers' (STs) self-generated metaphors about teaching before and after their student teaching. Before their teaching practicum experience, they were: (a) optimistic, but had naïve perceptions about their roles, (b) worried about their inadequacy to teach professionally, and (c) anxious about their relationship with cooperating teachers. Post-practicum, we noted (a) increased transformative perceptions about their role, (b) professional knowledge growth, (c) the participants explicated a broad array of challenges of building good student relationships, and (d) the placement-school contexts exert a significant influence on their identity formation. Implications for facilitating EFL student teachers' professional identity (trans)formations during the field experiences are discussed.