“I am a Teacher in General, not an English Teacher” : Four Korean English Language Teachers’ Perceptions

This study explores the teacher identities of four university Korean non-native English speaking teachers through their perceptions on themselves, and how such perceptions affect their teaching and professional teacher identities. Data were collected through interviews, observation, and teaching journals. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze the data. Teacher participants perceived themselves as teachers in general as well as good teachers. They also felt that they are ‘deficient’ in English skills, and therefore they had the need to improve their language abilities and constantly engage in professional development. This has had them experience struggles with the mismatch between their own expectations and ideal images of themselves as ‘good’ humanistic teachers and realistic or perceptual pictures of themselves as ‘deficient’ non-native language teachers. This mismatch has further hindered their sense of professionalism. Discussions and implications on their perceptions are presented in relation to critical issues in the TESOL research field such as nativism, World Englishes, teacher identity, as well as teacher education programs.