International Teacher Identity Negotiation Through Transnational Online Master’s Programs: A Narrative Inquiry

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 1:45 pm - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: From Crossing to Returning: Teacher Trajectories in Motion

Abstract

This narrative inquiry investigates how a Chinese in-service teacher at an international school negotiates her professional identity through a U.S.-based online master’s program. Addressing the under-researched experiences of host-country international teachers in non-Anglophone contexts, the study applies Akkerman and Meijer’s (2011) “I-position” framework to analyze identity shifts. It identifies three key developments: affirmation of the I-position as a lifelong learner, transformation from a subject teacher to a professional educator, and emergence of a humanizing teaching stance. Findings show how the teacher constructs a coherent core identity to navigate tensions between personal beliefs and institutional demands. This study contributes to research on local teachers in international schools and highlights online learning as a space for teacher identity negotiation and professional growth.

Authors

• Yueyue Wang, University of Maryland

• Wanyi Xie, Peking University