efl teacher’s identity formation the influences of learning and working experiences

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY EFL TEACHER’S IDENTITY FORMATION: THE INFLUENCES OF LEARNING AND WORKING EXPERIENCES A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in TESOL Submitted by : DO THI XUAN HUONG Supervisor : Dr DANG TAN TIN Ho Chi Minh City, September 2019 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY DO THI XUAN HUONG EFL TEACHER’S IDENTITY FORMATION: THE INFLUENCES OF LEARNING AND WORKING EXPERIENCES Major: TEACHING ENGLISH TO SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES Major code : 60140111 MASTER OF ARTS IN TESOL Supervisor: Dr DANG TAN TIN Ho Chi Minh City, September 2019 i Statement of authorship I certify that this thesis entitled “EFL Teacher’s Identity Formation: The Influences of Learning and Working Experiences” is my own work No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement and proper citation in the main text of the thesis This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma in any other tertiary institutions Ho Chi Minh City, September 2019 DO THI XUAN HUONG ii Retention and use of the thesis I hereby state that I, Do Thi Xuan Huong, a candidate for the degree of Master of Arts in TESOL, accept the requirements of Ho Chi Minh City Open University relating to the retention and use of Master’s Theses deposited in the Library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my Master’s Thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Librarian for the care, loan, and reproduction for theses Ho Chi Minh City, 2019 DO THI XUAN HUONG iii Acknowledgement I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to my supervisor: Dr Dang Tan Tin for his suggestions and encouragement throughout the development of this paper My completion of this paper could not have been accomplished without his support and guidance My sincere thanks also goes to my friend who is the participant of this study She provided me an opportunity to listen to her life’s stories and gave me the access to her classroom to conduct this study I am really grateful to have such a beautiful and wonderful friend in life I also want to show my special gratitude to a brother who helped me a lot in finalizing this study and gave me a lot of helpful comments for this study Thank you so much for your generous support iv Table of contents Statement of authorship i Retention and use of the thesis ii Acknowledgement iii Table of contents iv List of abbreviations vii List of appendices viii Abstract ix Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Current English language education in Vietnam 1.2 Statement of problems 1.3 Definition of key terms 1.4 Aims of the study 1.5 Research question 1.6 Significance of the study 1.7 Organization of the study Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Identity 2.2 Teacher identity 2.3 Identity formation Identification Negotiation of meanings 10 2.4 Factors influencing identity formation of teachers 12 The influence of learning experiences to the identity formation of a teacher 13 The influences of working experiences on the formation of teacher identity 16 2.5 EFL teacher’s identity formation 17 2.6 Audiolingual Method 18 Chapter 3: Methodology 22 3.1 Research design 22 3.2 Rationale for case study 22 3.3 Rationale for narrative inquiry 23 v 3.4 The research site and participant 25 3.5 Research tools 25 3.6 Research procedure 29 3.7 Data collection 29 3.8 The concern of validity and ethics 30 Chapter 4: Findings 32 4.1 Impacts of learning experiences on identity formation 32 1 From a learner struggling with English to a good learner of English and then a teacher of English 32 Inferiority as a motivation in learning 34 The motivation from good teacher in life 35 4 The dependent learner 35 4.2 Impacts of working experiences on the identity formation 36 Impact of teaching training on a teacher’s identity 36 2 Negotiation of meanings between an EFL student to an EFL teacher 37 Negotiation of meanings between a once-tutor for small classes to a novice teacher of large classes 40 4 Problems of the academic programs at work and solutions to them in private classes 41 The belief in teaching method consolidated through the time 42 Image of self as a teacher 45 The motivation from financial hardship to the teaching job 47 The recruitment of students as a private tutor and as a center founder 48 Chapter 5: Discussion 49 5.1 formation Sub-research question 1: influences of learning experiences to identity 49 1 The ownership of negotiation of meaning as an EFL learner 49 Impact of the sense of inferiority in identity formation 50 5.2 formation Sub-research question 2: influences of working experiences to identity 50 Constant conflicts between the ideal and compulsory identity in the transitional period from an EFL learners to and an EFL teacher 51 2 Negotiation of meanings to become a good EFL teacher 51 Belief of ALM consolidated through the time and the self-image as an ALM practitioner 53 Impact of financial pressure on identity formation 54 vi Chapter 6: Conclusion 55 6.1 Summary of key findings of the study 55 6.2 Implications of the study 56 6.3 Limitations of the study 57 6.4 Recommendations of the study 58 6.5 Conclusions 58 References 59 Appendices 64 Appendix Research instruments 65 The interview questions - The Vietnamese version 68 Observation form 71 Appendix The consent form 96 Appendix Selected quotes from the interview 99 vii List of abbreviations ALM : Audiolingual Method CEFR : Common European Framework of Reference for Languages CLT : Communicative Language Teaching EFL : English as a Foreign Language GTM : Grammar Translation Method L1 : The native language L2 : The second language viii List of appendices Appendix Research instruments 65 Appendix The consent form 96 Appendix Selected quotes from the interview 99 97 The collected data will exclusively serve the purposes of this study and will be kept confidential with pseudo names and your personal information concealed Any disclosure of your personal information is only allowed in case (1) a court order requires it, (2) you provide the researchers with a written permission, or (3) it is to protect you or others from harm The results of this study may be published in conference proceedings or journals You have the right to withdraw your participation or any unprocessed data at any time, provided it can be reliably identified, and that this action will not increase the risk to you or other participants in the study You have the right to have any questions answered at any time Please not hesitate to contact me, Do Thi Xuan Huong (Ms ) at xuanhuongdo920@gmail com if you have any questions about the research Yours sincerely, Do Thi Xuan Huong 98 CONSENT FORM I have received explanation and have read information about the project I agree to be a participant in the research project I agree:  To attend one interview  To allow observations in my classes I acknowledge that:  I join the project voluntarily and can leave the project or request the expunction of data related to me at any time (unless procedures must be followed for safety reasons)  The confidentiality of my personal information will be ensured, and private information can only be disclosed with my consent or required by law  The project may not be of direct benefit to me  The data will be in protection during and after the the project Data collected in the project may be used for publications Any information related to my identity will not be published Participant’s Consent Participant’s name: _ Date: _ Signature: _Email: 99 Appendix Selected quotes from the interview No Experience Theme Learning Dependent I really wanted to study English at that time, but my family learner condition was not good enough to afford an English course Experience Quotes in English Sadly, my family condition was still very poor at that time I wanted to get over that conditioned and borrowed money from others to study English I couldn’t maintain the study for over month because I didn’t know where to start and which direction I should follow in learning English There were tons of things I didn’t know in English I made up my mind to sell the laptop I cried a lot and registered the following courses at ZLS Negoti Learning experience ation of When I studied at ZLS, I really admired the teachers there Their English level and pronunciation skills were great If I registered for a make-up class, the center staff would arrange meaning enthusiastically I really loved to chat with them I really between an like the methods and people there EFL student to I attended the interview I was in the second round for interview and of course the employers was impressed by my a novice EFL speaking skill Everything was fine The employers told that teacher my pronunciation was quite good at that time The final round was salary dealing I was over the moon when they signed a contract I couldn’t control my feeling at that time I cried and called my mom to inform her immediately My mom was very happy There were so many rules to follow and many steps to remember to deliver the lessons well I did not know what to do, I was stressed out I got a very hectic schedule at that time 100 No Experience Theme Learning From a When I started learning English, I didn’t intend to be an learner English teacher I just got that ideas at the end of ZLS struggling courses when one of my teachers at ZLS encouraged me to with English be an English teacher Though I was also a tutor at that time, to a good I didn’t think much about how a good English teacher should learner of be However, I strongly believed in my ability to deliver the English and lessons well,because students understood my lessons Working then a teacher Nothing to say I didn’t know anything How didn’t know experience of English Experience Quotes in English how to put verbs into the right tenses and I didn’t even know where to put adjectives, adverbs in the sentences I didn’t know anything I just studied to finish the course After selling the laptop, I tried to study hard and practice my speaking skill My goal was communicating well in English I didn't focus much on grammar and spent most of my time practicing speaking After a few months studying at ZLS, I spoke English quite well Many of my teachers said that my English was good after just months Thanks to that, I had more motivation in learning and continue borrowing money to study the final courses in ZLS After finishing all course at ZLS, I was still not satisfied with my level because I was stricter and stricter with myself There was a time I felt "saturated" and didn't want to study any more I was frustrated with myself Why was my speaking skill good but when the foreigners spoke something I hadn't studied at school, I wasn't able to answer I did my best to focus on speaking skill ans registered another course at Premier which belonged to ZLS' s system as well When I was in grade in secondary school I started to dream that I would be a teacher someday I opened a very small class to teach children living near my house Their 101 No Experience Theme Quotes in English parents supported that idea enthusiastically I taught children Math, Physics and Chemical…Oh, no, no I taught them Math and Vietnamese for Primary school Their parents loved my class so much Ah, when my cousin, who was a primary teacher in the Central ,stopped by and witnessed my class, he was stunned and said “how excellent this girl’s teaching skill is She teaches like an adult” That was also my motivation I expect to be an Literature teacher, but I can’t it anymore I still remembered when I was studying in ZLS, there was a teacher who really cared of me and motivated me a lot He told me " if you finish Premier courses, you definitely can become an English teacher" I kept asking myself whether I could become a teacher or not because my biggest dream was being a teacher That dream was inside my mind when I was a little girl That teacher was like the only motivation encouraging me to overcome difficulties, and questions raising inside me i just tried my best However, these parts are only good for those who study hard When I apply it to those who are weaker, it is a real torture to them and there has been no way out But in my opinion, for learning anything, the attitude makes up 70% of the success If students are not serious, there is no way for them to succeed In the end, it is all down to their awareness, to their serious investment Working Image of self I love teaching and want to be loved Teacher is one of noble experience as a teacher jobs in life and receives respect and love from others I love that 102 No Experience Theme Quotes in English My students said that I was a great teacher and a source of inspiration for them I also see that I was good at inspiring students and motivating them to learn Actually my characteristics are still the same, nothing changes Nothing can change me I always set rules for myself to bring the best of my teaching in the classroom I have never distracted in my classroom Students studying seriously really love my class while lazy students are afraid of studying with me Though I have never shouted at them, the pressure I put on class makes them scared I organize class activities continuously, so they don’t have much time to relax in my class They find it more relaxed in other teachers’ classes I’m quite upset with it After that, I conducted a survey to know why my students were afraid of me At first, my students couldn’t identify the reason, but then they told me “since you ask us to study much in class, we are always stressed In your class, you often count 1,2,3,4,5 and time’s up and expect the answer from us right after you finish counting Moreover, you don’t let us play games very often, so we feel more comfortable to study with other teachers The other pressure is because you are the founder of this center, your requirement in your class is much higher than other teachers ” In short, no one influences my characteristics as an English teacher I am the only one who set rules in my teaching I always focus on teaching quality in my classroom I always work 100% of my ability to ensure the quality in my class I strongly believe that students can get more knowledge in my class My students can remember up to 80,90% of the lessons and applied them into their real lives 103 No Experience Theme Quotes in English Sure, it will change As I mentioned before, I am quite sentimental and love to be praised and received love from others Although my students really like me, a transparent barrier always appear between us This makes them uncomfortable to sit with me I expect to be friendlier with my students You know, though I try to talk a lot and be more sociable, my students was still afraid of the power inside of me Working Impact of Ah, I mentioned already There are main factors First, he experience teaching was humorous Second, his English knowledge was training on excellent Finally, he had good teaching methodologies teacher’s That’s why I like him identity The method I am following is "Reflex" Students remember and understand words through gestures Then, we apply those words into specific questions and answers and let students practice speaking right in class This method will ensure that students can remember words in class There were many thing I did not know before in the training session I was surprised when there were so many things to lean and many steps to remember I was excited and also confused You know, the concept of class management and teaching skills were really new to me Working Impact of Ah, I mentioned already There are main factors First, he experience teaching was humorous Second, his English knowledge was training on the excellent Finally, he had good teaching methodologies formation of That’s why I like him teaching method The method I am following is "Reflex" Students remember and understand words through gestures Then, we apply those words into specific questions and answers and let 104 No Experience Theme Quotes in English students practice speaking right in class This method will ensure that students can remember words in class Learning Inferiority as a the program in ZLS From a person knowing nothing related experience motivation in to English, I still understood their program It lifted me up leaning from the bottom and helped me escape the feeling of inferiority In grade 12, I studied quite well nearly all subjects Although I didn't focus much on my study, my score in highschool graduation examination was 46 It meant the average of each subject was about 8, except English I just got for English However, the English score wasn't really mine because my friends showed me how to it English was an obstacle for me, and it created a sense of inferiority in me Especially, when I studied in college, I still remembered the feelings I had after the final exam at school After getting out of the exam room ,my classmate said " the test is just a piece of cake", but I was very difficult to me I knew nothing related to English the inferiority was appeared again in my mind What affected me most was when I attended an interview in a company that my friends introduced I thought there was a very high chance that I would be employed, may be 70% sure I was interviewed by Vietnamese and HongKong The Vietnamese talked to me in Vietnamese,and The Hongkong talked to me in English The Vietnamese interviewer was satisfied with my performance and he said " this girl gets a good-looking face and an attractive voice, which are suitable to be an secretary" However, the Kongkong Interviewer said NO He said to me" if you don't 105 No Experience Theme Quotes in English understand what I say, how can you work with me?" My motivation of studying English was increased Working Negotiate of The period I first worked at ZLS was a torture to me I dealt experience meaning well with teaching one on one because I had good instincts between a for teaching and deliver lessons However, if I had to to once-tutor for follow steps by steps of a teaching method, I should invest small classes to my time on studying and practicing them But you know, I a teacher of worked a lot at that time I worked at ZLS and had my own large classes? tutoring classes at the same time That's why I was stressed when I first worked at ZLS I dealt well with teaching one on one because I had good instincts for teaching and deliver lessons However, if I had to to follow steps by steps of a teaching method, I should invest my time on studying and practicing them, but I did not have much time That's why I was stressed when I first worked at ZLS Working Problems of :No, I really love the program That’s why after leaving experience the academic ZLS, I kept the English program in ZLS,and didn’t have programs at much correction from level 1-4 There were some changes work and from level only When I established my center, I changed solutions to 100% of the English program,but I still stick to the teaching them in methodology at ZLS private classes For example, the lesson mentioned the differences in wedding cultures of different countries First, students have not had knowledge about the topic, how can they talk about it? Moreover, when giving new words, teachers would only go through it fast, so students couldn’t apply the words Therefore, there is a lack of practice of those new words to memorize and use them in sentences I see that as a huge shortage 106 No Experience Theme Quotes in English from the 5th month, I had the same problem as ZLS did So I thought a lot about it and found a method which I find good enough till now As I said in ZLS, just giving students new words and practice a little cannot help them remember and apply them Therefore, first I change the topic so that they are closer to life and then, before teaching the topic, I give some warm up activities and make them fun Next, I have to give new words I help students to remember new words first with gestures, and ask them to use the new words in sentences Then with games, I suggest the ideas and draw the circle I try to list relevant ideas for the topic and help students understand and present those ideas in front of the class After that comes the related questions to help students avoid stereotypical learning,but promote their thinking about the topic so that they can reflect to questions in real life I nailed it Interviewee: Yes, there is a step saying Yes Miss No Miss or Yes sir,No sir when the teacher points at a word but say another word Now I see that part is weird, so I don’t use that step in my teaching As for other things, the levels from to at ZLS are very good I like them very much and nothing I should change about them 10 Working The belief in the program in ZLS was excellent I was something really experience teaching fantastic to me From a person knowing nothing related to method English, I still understood their program It lifted me up consolidated from the bottom and helped me escape the feeling of through the inferiority time Interviewee :No, I really love the program That’s why after leaving ZLS, I kept the English program in ZLS,and didn’t have much correction from level 1-4 There were some changes from level only When I established my center, I 107 No Experience Theme Quotes in English changed 100% of the English program,but I still stick to the teaching methodology at ZLS The method I am following is "Reflex" Students remember and understand words through gestures Then, we apply those words into specific questions and answers and let students practice speaking right in class This method will ensure that students can remember words in class Interviewee: Yes, there is a step saying Yes Miss No Miss or Yes sir,No sir when the teacher points at a word but say another word Now I see that part is weird, so I don’t use that step in my teaching As for other things, the levels from to at ZLS are very good I like them very much and nothing I should change about them students remember and understand words through gestures Then, we apply those words into specific questions and answers and let students practice speaking right in class This method will ensure that students can remember words in class 11 Working The Now I feel grateful because ZLS gave me an excellent experience motivation English foundation and a job to make a living However, I from financial was also angry with ZLS because they didn’t let me stay and hardship to work their when I had to deal with very high financial the teaching pressure job Sadly, my family condition was still very poor at that time I wanted to get over that conditioned and borrowed money from others to study English 108 No Experience Theme Quotes in English I cried and called my mom to inform her immediately I would have money to support for my family My mom was very happy My study was distracted a lot after I worked at ZLS as an English teacher That was the mistake that I regret until now I focused a lot on my job at that time At first, I worked as a part-time teacher at ZLS and studied in the morning The hope of earning more money to help my parents was always in me because I knew how miserable it was when living in poor conditions Then I gave up my study and work as a full-time teacher at ZLS That's why I have got any certificate related to English until now After that, I worked more and more to earn money I decided to work outside I worked at ZLS from 7h30 to 11h30 a m , then I stopped by my student's house near ZLS and teach until 1p m At 1p m I had more class at home and my students came to my house first and waited for me there I didn't have time to have bread because My students were waiting for me I finished that class at p m and Had lunch with bread at that time It was very tired, but I think It was worth doing After that, I rested in half an hour and got changed to ZLS for the evening classes from to 9p m There was sometimes I worked from 7:30 a m to 9p m and have more class to 10:30 or 11 p m if my student needed more help The gate in my rent accommodation closed at 11p m, and I had to ask insistently to get in I worked like that for a long time from 7:30a m to 11p m 12 Learning The There was one in primary school and one in secondary experience motivation school My teacher in grade really loved me He was very humorous and nice I’m 30 now, but I go back to my 109 No Experience Theme Quotes in English from good primary school to visit him and give him gifts every year I teachers in life am really grateful for what he has done to me No, I wasn’t influenced by his teaching style You know, I was just a little girl at that that He loved me, so I also loved him I loved literature in secondary school Actually I didn’t like Literature, but I was quite talkative When my teacher asked questions, I volunteered to answer Maybe because of that, she thought that I was good at Literature When there was a district excellent student contest, she chose me to join I passed it and was awarded the district excellent student at the end of grade At that time, Long Khanh, my district, was a very large district included Cam My Then, in grade 8,I continued joining in the contest, but I failed because I answered out of the topic I determined to participate in the district excellent student contest again in grade 9, and passed it I was chosen to attend the provincial excellent student exam after that However ,I quit because I couldn’t travel very far from my house If I wanted to join in the provincial contest, I needed to stay in the town and studied for the exam there That teacher motivated me a lot when I attended those contests I am very grateful for her help, but I am not affected by her teaching style Yup, when I was in ZLS, I really admired Mr Phong I was quite naive at that time First he was very good teacher His sense of humor and the way he dealt with students made me admire Second, his English knowledge was excellent Therefore, I like and admire his teaching method so much Ah, there was one more teacher I really liked; that was Mr 110 No Experience Theme Quotes in English Vu I just liked him, not admired, because I didn’t have much time to observe his teaching method Mr Vu has never trained me before, but he used to be my teacher when I studied English at ZLS He taught me twice and his teaching methods and teaching styles was excellent Many of my teachers said that my English was good after just months Thanks to that, I had more motivation in learning and continued borrowing money to study the final courses in ZLS 13 Working The Then I continued studying at university to have an official experience recruitment of degree related to languages I studied Business students as a Administration of Marketing university After presentation private tutor in class, I stood in front of the class and said " Hello all, I'm and as a center Hà, an English teacher at ZLS I stopped working there to founder focus on my study However, I am still free after class,so if you want to study English, please contact me" weeks after my presentation day at university, four of my friends at university registered my classes at home and became my students They were impressed with the teaching method and they introduced more friends to study with me One of them is my staff at my English center at the moment She knew nothing of English when she first met me and now she is an English teacher in my center More and more people knew my class thanks to words of mouth from those who studied English with me I always teach my students with all of my heart and for sure, my students also know that They loved to study with me and my active teaching style also impressed them I recruited teacher who used to be my student to teach with me at home 111 No Experience Theme Quotes in English Then, we had more and more classes and we shared the workload together As a result, I organized an English club and recruit teachers to teach with me After a while, a friend suggested cooperating with me to establish an English center It was my dream I hoped to open my own center by the age of 35 Fortunately, I could make it true when I was only 28 It has been established for half a year and we are still working well ... formation of teachers 12 The influence of learning experiences to the identity formation of a teacher 13 The influences of working experiences on the formation of teacher identity. .. Additionally, there will be a review about teacher identity and identity formation of ELF teachers Finally, the influences of learning experiences and teaching experiences on identity formation of EFL. .. identity formation, influences of working experiences on identity formation, and the dual processes of identity formation In particular, the aspects related to identity formation and their mutual