“I Always Feel Like I’m Not Doing Enough”: Identity, Emotion, and Beliefs in an ESL Endorsement Program

• In Event: Always Becoming: Identity Work in the Making of Teachers

Abstract

In this qualitative study, we investigate how nine rural in-service educators shifted their beliefs, identities, and emotional engagement while participating in an ESL Endorsement program in Iowa. Drawing on sociocultural theory and critical language awareness, we analyze open-ended responses from pre-, mid-, and post-program surveys. Through thematic and critical discourse analysis, we trace educators’ evolving definitions of “good” English teaching, perspectives on multilingual learners, and the role of emotion in their practice. Our findings show movement from anxiety and uncertainty to greater confidence and nuanced awareness, though explicit advocacy remains limited. We highlight the importance of sustained, practice-oriented professional development in fostering reflective and emotionally resilient educators, especially in rural contexts with limited support.

Authors

• Tipsuda Chaomuangkhong, Arizona State University

• Aliza Fones, University of Northern Iowa

• Doaa Ahmed Ali Ibrahim, University of Northern Iowa

• Cody Boozell, University of Northern Iowa