Exploring American EFL teachers’ bicultural identity construction: theories vs. practices

ABSTRACT

Foreign language teachers’ recognition of their identity is essential to their professional development. Drawing on bicultural theories, this study investigated two American teachers who recounted their experiences of teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at a university in China. This study leverages the Two-directional Extension Model as the theoretical framework for analysis. It employs interviews, reflective journals, and field observations to collect data to seek ways of improving foreign teachers’ bicultural communication competence by exploring how the two American EFL teachers construct their bicultural identity. One major finding highlights the EFL teachers’ bicultural identity construction as a dynamic and ongoing process upon which several have effects, affecting professional development in higher education in China.

KEYWORDS:

• EFL teachers
• identity
• bicultural identity construction
• bicultural identity

Acknowledgment

The authors are grateful to the reviewers, who offered insightful and invalubale comments and suggestions. The authors would like to acknowledge Mr. Derek Ocean, and Ms. Laurie Crowthorne, who read through the writing and gave modifications before the submission. We are also thankful to the two participants involved in the study for sharing their experiences.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s ).