Unpacking Chinese EFL Student Teachers' Professional Identity Formation Through Metaphors

• In Event: Teaching Across Borders: Experiences of International Teachers and Teacher Educators

Abstract

This paper traces 33 Chinese EFL student teachers’ metaphoric professional
identity transformations throughout their teaching practicums. Specifically, the written
metaphors coalesced around four themes: 1) naive self-perceptions on English language
teachers’ roles, 2) the inadequacy of professional capability in teaching, 3) transition
shock from university to placement school, and 4) relationships with the cooperating
teachers. Meanwhile, this study found that the post-practicum professional metaphors
reveal that the participants consolidated and expanded their professional identities, which
encapsulate six aspects: 1) transformative perceptions, 2) professional knowledge growth,
3) the shift from teacher-centeredness to student-centeredness, 4) changing the
pedagogical orientation from behaviorist to constructivist, 5) challenges in building
relationships with students, and 6) the contextual influence of the placement school and
the mentorship.

Author

• Gang Zhu, East China Normal University