چكيده به لاتين
Language teacher professional identity refers to an understanding by each individual helping
them prepare for their professional lives and is affected by different factors; hence, this study
was carried out to explore (a) the reasons why language teachers chose this profession, their
perceptions of the notion of language teacher professional identity, the influential factors in
the construction or change of professional identity, the contribution of communities of
practice, and the role of teacher educators in supporting student teachers through the process
of professional identity construction. The study followed a quantitative-qualitative research
design to form a better understanding of the subject. For doing so, a 37-item questionnaire
along with five open-ended questions was developed and administered to 109 English
language teachers studying Teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) at Iran University
of Science and Technology. The second source of data included semi-structured interviews
with five teacher educators elaborating on and sharing their opinions on the subject. To
analyze the quantitative data, descriptive analysis and Pearson Product Moment were run to
indicate the frequency and correlation among the eight categories of the questionnaire.
Thematic analysis was used for analyzing the qualitative data related to language teachers‘
responses to open-ended questions and teacher educators‘ responses to interview questions.
The results of the study highlighted that language teachers perceived their professional
identity mostly related to student-related identity, self-knowledge and awareness and practice
into knowledge. They stated that students, context, and disciplinary knowledge greatly cause
constant changes in the professional identity and development. The findings presented a
dichotomous view regarding the role of communities of practice. Finally, teacher educators
recognized critical thinking and reflection on the practice as contributors to the construction
of student teacher professional identity. The study shed more light into the improvement of
teacher education programs and professional development of language teachers.
