Exploring CFL Teacher Identity through Podcasts: Positioning, Agency, and Social Justice in Cross-Cultural Contexts

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Sunday 1:45 pm
  In Poster Session: Platforms of Practice: Teacher Identity in Digital Spaces

Abstract

This study examines the identity construction of Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) teachers through podcast narratives, utilizing Kayi-Aydar’s (2021) three-layer positioning framework. Drawing on narratives from 63 teachers across 31 countries on five continents, the study identifies three central storylines: shifts from cultural performers to facilitators, cultural adaptors to curriculum innovators, and cultural reflectors to social advocates. These storylines reveal how CFL teachers actively navigate institutional expectations and power relations, negotiating their positions through creative pedagogy and cultural mediation. The study underscores the importance of recognizing CFL teachers as active agents and advocates for social justice. It also highlights the interwoven roles of language and culture in teacher identity construction and the methodological potential of podcasts in educational research.

Authors

• Jingning He, University at Buffalo - SUNY

• Zhehan Zheng, University at Buffalo - SUNY