EFL Higher Education Teachers in Colombia: Unveiling Their Identities Through Stories

• In Event: 68.060 - Roundtable Session 29
  In Roundtable Session: 68.060-18 - Perspectives on Teacher Identities, Language, and Empowerment

Abstract

This work reports findings of a case study carried out with adjunct faculty who teach English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in a public university in Medellín, Colombia. The objective was to explore teachers’ identities and the research question was: What are the identities of teachers who will be working in the new English program at Universidad Estatal? The data collection instruments included an online qualitative questionnaire and in-depth interviews. The main finding discussed here revealed that teachers are storytellers; their lives have been experienced through life stories that they then apply in their classes when they also ask students to tell their stories. Findings of this study may have implications for professional development planners and administrators.

Author

• Diana Patricia Pineda Montoya, Universidad de Antioquia