Neither backpackers nor locals: the professional identities of TESOL Teachers in East Asia studying on an MA TESOL

Bailey, Lucy; Evison, Jane

Abstract

This paper analyses accounts of professional identity constructed by teachers studying for an MA TESOL with a Western university. These teachers share a belief that commitment and competence are key professional attributes; however, contrasts are drawn between the ways in which Western teachers and teachers originating from countries in East Asia seek to demonstrate that they themselves possess these characteristics. The Western teachers distance themselves from the idea that they are itinerant backpackers whose worth lies only in their 'native speaker' status rather than any pedagog-ical skill, whereas the East Asian teachers distance themselves from inferences of linguistic/pedagog-ical incompetence.

Citation

Bailey, L., & Evison, J. (2020). Neither backpackers nor locals: the professional identities of TESOL Teachers in East Asia studying on an MA TESOL. European Journal of Applied Linguistics and TEFL, 9(1),

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 21, 2019
• Online Publication Date: May 29, 2020
• Publication Date: May 29, 2020
• Deposit Date: Dec 19, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: May 29, 2020
• Journal: The European Journal of Applied Linguistics and TEFL
• Print ISSN: 2192-1032
• Electronic ISSN: 2192-1032
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 1
• Keywords: Professional identity; Native English Speaking Teacher; Non Native English Speaking Teacher; East Asia
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3601807
• Related Public URLs: http://www.theeuropeanjournal.eu/; http://www.theeuropeanjournal.eu/download/EJALTEFL_01_2020.pdf
• Additional Information: The article is subject to copyright and may be consulted for personal use but not copied or disseminated electronically, in print or in any other form.