Identity Construction of Two Korean Non-Regular English Conversation Teachers

Identity Construction of Two Korean Non-Regular English Conversation Teachers

The study investigates the identity construction of two non-regular English conversation teachers (non-RECTs) working in Korean public schools. Drawing on the poststructuralist notion of identity, the study illustrates how the non-RECTs construct their teacher identity through negotiating conflicts between their claimed and other-imposed identities. The primary data were collected through interviews with two Korean non-RECTs throughout a three-year period. A total of six interviews were conducted with the participants and the data were analyzed following the content analysis and textual analysis procedures. The findings show that the participants constructed themselves as qualified teachers through their participation in communicative teaching practices. The non-RECTs felt marginalized as invisible assistants outside of the regular teachers’ community of practice (CoP). Their resistance to being marginalized was expressed through negative evaluation of regular teachers and through reported speech. The results suggest that the construction of non- RECTs’ identity is a struggle between the different views on legitimacy and a negotiation among multiple and conflicting identities. (159 words)