Abstract
The chapter discusses the construct of preservice language teacher identity related to the aspects of positive psychology. The author draws on findings from a three-stage longitudinal duoethnographic study of 10 pairs (duo) of preservice English teachers with a view to exploring what preservice teacher identities are emerging from their dialogues, which can also shed light on their future teaching practice. The themes and discourses identified in the study and interpreted in the context of the current theoretical frameworks imply that preservice teacher identity is in a constant state of flux. It is suggested that the application of duoethnographic dialogues in teacher preparation programmes may offer a way of capturing its emergence in order to learn both about teacher identity and from teacher identity.
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Notes
- 1.
A similar limitation was expressed by Voerman et al. (2014) in their study on revisiting feedback as based on PP.
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Appendices
Appendix 1
Themes related to interaction, continuity and situation generated by the study participants in stage 1.
Pair 1
Value of education: language learning is important Significant teacher: engaged teacher who related to each pupil in class |
Positive experiences related to language learning: ‘fun’ activities |
Motivation to become interested in the language: a magazine for English learners which initiated English passion Helping others |
Pair 2
Significant others from family: older sister who invented creative activities to teach English at home Learning about different cultures from international students and teachers |
Positive past experience related to a teacher who noticed the student’s ability and encouraged her to read in English Valuable course in language learning strategy training |
Positive Scottish experience: attending primary school in Scotland: team teaching, learner autonomy fostering approach, developing practical activities (singing, acting, poem writing, etc.) |
Pair 3
Positive experience related to passionate teachers as role models/Imagining being a teacher: motivating, improving skills and personality, a good person, a role model with a mission, passion, hope, skills, infecting with happiness |
Successful skills teaching: listening strategy Significant teacher who treated learners as family members |
Positive African experience: teaching African children on a mission in Tanzania |
Pair 4
Positive impact of school placement: getting to know people and surroundings, learning organization and patience Self-confidence: conviction of self-efficacy |
Significant teacher who treated teaching as passion: developing artistic skills |
Success in giving private tutorials |
Pair 5
Desire to be respected and become an authority/father figure to learners like a past teacher: becoming an authority through being ‘human’: honest, kind and helpful in solving their problems Gratefulness to the teacher: pushing out of ‘safe zone’ Imagining being a teacher: ‘connection’ with students and teaching them at the same time, patience and empathy |
Significant teacher: teaching as establishing good relationships with learners |
Motivation of learning English in a language school: fluctuations Taking part in an international practice experience |
Pair 6
Positive experience of primary school language learning Positive attitude to English |
– |
‘Crossing the learning boundary at school’: learning language and culture from an ‘eccentric’ teacher (shabby-looking appearance, song lyrics as language input, discussions on living British culture) Positive tutoring and school placement experience: enjoyment |
Pair 7
Attempts to define language teaching Importance of English Passion for English |
Language learning techniques Imagined classroom Change of thinking on the teacher profession: responsibility for helping, making confident, making happy about the fact thy’re learning English |
– |
Pair 8
Thrill of learning English |
Significant teacher—a role model teacher |
The Japanese experience: gaining speaking confidence |
Pair 9
Motivation to study English: sharing your knowledge and helping others Thrill of learning: learning all the time as a teacher, learning from students Effective teaching: the importance of feeling safe in a language classroom, dur to the use of another language Helping others is more important than money |
The positive impact of school placement Teacher characteristics Activities used by past teachers as participants’ teaching repertoire |
A history teacher’s perspective on students’ motivation to learn English: all the time reinforced in the life context, can be quickly revised in lessons Meaningful decisions: conscious refusal of teaching a 7-year-old girl on a one-to-one basis, as children at this age need interaction with peers |
Pair 10
Motivation to learn English: meeting a girl rom Canada |
Family job continuation |
Meaningful personal theories: As teacher you should make everything to make learners feel language learning is important, show how to learn, but the rest is theirs. If they don’t want to learn, it’s not worth teaching them. Teacher is not a person who is obliged to teach only one subject, but also to teach how to be a good person, how to be helpful, work effectively, extend hobbies and passions, take from school as much as possible |
Appendix 2
An example of a memo chart for one study participant.
Ela, pair 4 |
Self-analysis: Teaching as mission/being for others: finding pleasure in helping children, especially those from Africa Teaching as becoming/discovering oneself: her attitude to teaching after her first EFL methodology class Teaching as being obeyed and respected: most children in Tanzania want to be English teachers Positive emotions related to the previous teacher: still remembers her gestures, her perfume, the sadness when class was over Ela’s analysis by her partner Pola: Sensitivity to details which helps her remember the moments from the past. Self-awareness which makes her know a lot about future learners, the way they should be approached Subconscious image of the teacher who is a role model, forms children’s mindsets Passion, understanding, purposefulness: “Teaching means a great mission in life for me” |
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Werbińska, D. (2021). “What Kind of Teachers We Are (Becoming) and What Kind of Teachers We Might Be”—Making Sense of Duoethnographic Positive Psychology-Related Experience by Preservice English Teachers. In: Budzińska, K., Majchrzak, O. (eds) Positive Psychology in Second and Foreign Language Education. Second Language Learning and Teaching. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64444-4_8
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