Pre-Service Teachers’ Narratives: Why Did I Decide to Become an English Language Teacher?
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Choosing a major is one of the most important decisions in one’s life. Understanding the aspects that intervene in this decision contribute to a better understanding of main motivational forces of English as a Foreign Language pre-service teachers. This qualitative descriptive study examined the personal, professional, and social motivations and experiences of 40 English as a Foreign Language pre-service teachers in the Mexican context that affected their decision to become English language teachers. Using an open written narrative (Language Learning History) instrument, participants wrote stories that showed the main reasons for choosing English teaching as a major. The results showed that personal and professional aspects including biographical experiences, a perceived ability to learn and teach English as well as teacher preparation program experiences are the most influential in this decision along with altruistic and intrinsic motives.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The authors of the manuscripts accepted for publication in HOW journal are required to sign a nonexclusive license agreement allowing ASOCOPI to reproduce the full text on the Internet or in any other available source. Authors retain copyright of their manuscripts with the following restrictions: first publication is granted to ASOCOPI; nonexclusive agreements with third parties can be established as long as the original publication in the HOW journal is properly acknowledged.
References
Alsup, J. (2006). Speaking from the borderlands: Exploring narratives of teacher identity. In B. T. Williams (Ed.), Identity Papers: Literacy and Power in Higher Edcation (pp. 109-121). All USS Press.160.
Arfiandhani, P., & Lestari, I. W. (2019). Pre-service English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ motives to become teachers: A comparative study. ETERNAL, 5(2), 306-317. http://doi.org/10.24252/Eternal.V52.2019.A11
Barkhuizen, G., Benson, P., & Chik, A. (2014). Narrative inquiry in language teaching and learning research. Routledge.
Başöz, T. (2021). I’ve decided to become an English teacher: Pre-service EFL teachers’ reasons for choosing teaching as a career. Kastamonu Education Journal, 29(5), 813-821. http://doi.org/10.24106/kefdergi.860727
Delgado-González, A., & Herrera-Rivas, L. (2021). Motivation and English achievement in Mexican teacher students: A correlation study. International Education Studies.14 (3), 96-104. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v14n3p96
Fajardo Castañeda, J. A. (2014). Learning to teach and professional identity: Images of personal and professional recognition. Profile: Issues in Teachers and Professional Development, 16(2), 49-65. http://dx.doi.org/10.15446/profile.v16n2.38075
Hennessy, J., & Lynch, R. (2016). "I chose to become a teacher because". Exploring the factors influencing teaching choice amongst pre-service teachers in Ireland. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2016.1183188
Hong, J., Greene, B., & Lowery, J. (2017). Multiple dimensions of teacher identity development from pre-service to early years of teaching: a longitudinal study. Journal of Education for teaching, 43(1), 84-98. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2017.1251111
Kavanoz, S., & Yüksel, H. G. (2017). Motivations and concerns: Voices from pre-service language teachers. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 42(8), 43-61. http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2017v42n8.4
Kavanoz, S., Yüksel, H. G., & Varol, B. (2017). Evolvement of pre-service language teachers' beliefs through teacher education. International Journal of Progressive Education, 13(1), 119-134. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1132074.pdf
Kim, H., Sefcik, J. S., Bradway, C. (2016). Characteristics of qualitative descriptive studies: A systematic review. Nurs Health, 40 (1), 23-42. http://doi.org/10.1002/nur.21768
Kimberley, M. M. L. (2010). Becoming an English teacher: Participants’ voices and identities in an in-service teacher training course in central Mexico. Universidad de Guanajuato
Lambert, V. A., & Lambert, C. L. (2012). Qualitative descriptive research: An acceptable design Pacific Rim International Journal of Nursing Research, 16 (4). 255-256. https://he02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/PRIJNR/article/view/5805
Lamote, C., & Engels, N. (2010, February). The development of student teachers' professional identity. European Journal of Teacher Education, 33(1), 3-18. http://doi.org/10.1080/02619760903457735
Leserth, K. (2013). Identity development among pre-service teacher candidates. (doctoral dissertation). Iowa State University. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4207&context=etd
Lestari, I. W., & Arfiandhami, P. (2019). Exploring career motivation of Indonesian pre-service EFL teachers. Advance in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 353, 63-69.
MAXQDA. (2019). The art of data analysis. MAXDA. https://es.maxqda.com/
Misfud, D. (2018). Initial Teacher Education: The narratives and questions of teacher agency. Palgrave Macmillan.
Moore, P., M. K. Grondin, G., & Andrade Mayer, H. A. (2020). Dimensiones humanistas en la construcción narrativa de la identidad del docente de segundas lenguas. Ediciones y Gráficos Eón, SA de CV, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11799/109020
Mofrad, E. Z. (2016). Exploring the professional identity of the Iranian English teachers: The case of English institutes of Iranshahr. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 6(4), 843-848. http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0604.23.
Mora, A., Trejo, P., & Roux, R. (2014). English language teachers' professional development and identities. Profile: Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development, 16(1), 49-62. https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v16n1.38153
Mora, A., Trejo, P., & Roux, R. (2016). The complexities of being and becoming language teachers: issues of identity and investment. Language and Intercultural Communication, 16(2), 182-198. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2015.1136318
Nassaji, H. (2015). Qualitative and descriptive research: Data types versus data analysis. Language Teaching Research, 19(2), 129-132. http://doi.org/10.1177/1362168815572747
Navarrete-Cazales, Z. (2016). Investigación sobre formación e identidad profesional de los docentes en México. Revista de Educación Superior del Sur Global-RESUR, (1), 5-26.
Pillen, M., Beijaard, D., & den Brok, P. (2013). Professional identity tensions of beginning teachers. Teachers and Teaching, 19(6), 660-678. http://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2013.827455
Trejo Guzmán, N. P., & Mora Vázquez, A. (2014). Narrativas autobiográficas de profesores de lengua inglesa: una mirada a la formación de su identidad profesional. Revista Mexicana de Investigación Educativa, 19(63), 1245-1266.
Warner, C. K. (2016). Constructions of excellent teaching: Identity tensions in preservice English teacher. National Teacher Education Journal, 9(1).
Werbińska, D. (2015). Becoming an English language teacher: Continuities and discontinuities. Journal of Language and Cultural Education, 3(1), 14-31. http://doi.org/10.1515/jolace-2015-0002
Yuan, R., & Lee, I. (2015). The cognitive, social and emotional processes of teacher identity construction in a pre-service teacher education program. Research Papers in Education, 30(4), 469-491. http://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2014.932830
Yüksel, H. G., & Kavanoz, S. (2015). Influence of prior experiences on pre-service language teachers' perception of teaching. Procedia, 199, 777-784. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.07.611
Zare-ee, A., & Ghasedi, F. (2014). Professional identity construction issues in becoming an English teacher. Procedia. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 98, 1991-1995. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.633