Why Critical Bilingualism? Toward Multilingual Teacher Identities in TESOL

• In Event: Virtual Poster Session
  In Virtual iPresentation Only: SIG-Second Language Research Virtual Poster Session

Abstract

The growing demand for inclusive language teacher identities calls for deconstructing separated and compartmentalized bilingualism to promote social equity and empower teachers. This study aimed to unravel the complex constructs of language teacher identities by understanding teachers’ experiences and beliefs about English and their first language in diverse sociopolitical contexts. Six English teachers from the US and Korea engaged in exchanging journals over one semester and participated in individual interviews. The data analysis revealed that the participants began to challenge native speakerism and monolingualism, showing different paths of identity development depending on their attitudes toward power differences between their first or heritage language and English. This yielded three patterns of language teacher identities: critical bilingual, non-critical bilingual, and non-bilingual.

Authors

• Hoe Kyeung Kim, Binghamton University - SUNY

• Hyunhee Cho, Daegu National University of Education