“I Am Providing the Right Guidance”: A Collaborative Autoethnographic Study of Transnational Language Educators’ Legitimacy Identity Negotiation

• In Event: Language Teachers' Identities and Experiences

Abstract

Existing literature about the legitimacy issues that influence teacher educators’ professional identity negotiation has predominantly focused on U.S. teacher educators’ identity formation (e.g., Williams et al., 2012). Research on the legitimacy of identity negotiation of transnational language educators (TLE) in the U.S. remains scarce. To address this gap, two beginning TLEs conducted this collaborative autoethnographic study to investigate their experience working together as field supervisors to support a transnational pre-service teacher placed in a limited-resourced U.S. public high school. The study identified three levels of legitimacy issues that influenced TLEs’ professional identity negotiation. The study contributes to the research field of teacher education from the perspectives of methodology, pedagogy, and theory.

Authors

• Zheng Gu, Oxford College of Emory University

• Yue Bian, University of Washington - Bothell