Mapping professional identities of teachers of English as an additional language from Sri Lanka and Australia: Identifying commonalities across contexts
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Theorizing teacher identity is an important component of effective language teacher education. The current study maps the professional identities of 20 practicing teachers of English as an additional language (EAL) from two distinct contexts: Sri Lanka ( n = 10) and Australia ( n = 10). Data tapping each participant’s professional identity was elicited with semi-structured interviews structured around three domains: personal experience, professional context and external political environment. From the resultant teacher discourse, thematic analysis was applied to identify nine themes that teachers from both contexts perceived as being influential in the development of their professional identities, with two of these themes being perceived by some teachers as being of limited or no influence. These themes are defined and elucidated with quotes. Key differences in the way themes were manifested among the Sri Lankan and Australian teachers are also described. Findings provide a reference for language teachers’ critical reflection on their professional identities, especially those at the beginning of their careers.
Source: Language Teaching Research
Authors: Joshua Matthews, Leonardo Veliz, Ruwan Gunawardane, David Partridge
Institutions: University of New England, University of Ruhuna
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,900
OpenAlex ID: W4407799270