The purpose of this paper is to explore the positions one female teacher took up with regard to teaching English to young learners and how the teacher constructed her identities through a series of positioning. Data collection methods included a three-hour intensive interview and a collection of lesson plans and reflections for a period of one month. Her narrative orientation brings into focus the complex interplay amongst a teacher’s own educational and personal experiences, the pressures she faces from stakeholders in language education, and her own knowledge and belief system. In addition, the identity of this teacher as an English teacher is intertwined with the local context of her teaching, and it highlights conflicts within a larger discourse of English language education in Korea. I conclude by considering the implications of analyzing teacher narratives to gain insight into professional growth in teacher education for those who are training to become early childhood language teachers.
The purpose of this paper is to explore the positions one female teacher took up with regard to teaching English to young learners and how the teacher constructed her identities through a series of positioning. Data collection methods included a three-hour intensive interview and a collection of lesson plans and reflections for a period of one month. Her narrative orientation brings into focus the complex interplay amongst a teacher’s own educational and personal experiences, the pressures she faces from stakeholders in language education, and her own knowledge and belief system. In addition, the identity of this teacher as an English teacher is intertwined with the local context of her teaching, and it highlights conflicts within a larger discourse of English language education in Korea. I conclude by considering the implications of analyzing teacher narratives to gain insight into professional growth in teacher education for those who are training to become early childhood language teachers.
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