ERIC Number: EJ1404082
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0033-6882
EISSN: EISSN-1745-526X
Language Teacher Identity and English Education Policy in Japan: Competing Discourses Surrounding "Non-Native" English-Speaking Teachers
RELC Journal: A Journal of Language Teaching and Research, v54 n3 p788-803 2023
This paper examines English teacher identity of Japanese "non-native" English-speaking teachers through a multi-layered analysis of discourses and identity. Informed by poststructuralist views of identity, it explores dominant discourses surrounding "non-native" English-speaking teachers by analyzing their portrayal in national English education policy in Japan. This analysis is combined with qualitative data analysis of interview accounts of five Japanese high school "non-native" English-speaking teachers, which allows for examination of the interrelation between dominant discourses and their teacher identities. The data analysis demonstrates how the policy documents portray "non-native" English-speaking teachers, framing them within two competing discourses: the discourse of teaching professionals vis-à-vis students and the discourse of "nonnative" teachers vis-à-vis imagined "native" speakers of English. This discursive portrayal corresponds to the "non-native" English-speaking teacher identity illuminated by narrative accounts from the participant teachers, manifesting the paradoxical and conflicting nature of teacher identity. The discussion concludes with implications and recommendations for English education policy design and teacher education with a heightened sensitivity to identity.
Descriptors: Language Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, Self Concept, English (Second Language), Foreign Countries, Native Speakers, High School Teachers, Discourse Analysis, Professional Identity, Teacher Characteristics, Policy Analysis, Personal Narratives
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Japan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A