Examination of Language Teacher Identity among English or German Major Teacher Trainees Professional and Generational Challenges

Abstract

The study of language teacher identity development in language pedagogy in Hungary is a new field of research. This paper uses the conceptual framework of language teacher identity (LTI) established by De Costa and Norton (2017), which claims that language teacher self-perception and identity is shaped by a combination of personal experiences, professional context and sociocultural environment. The process of becoming a teacher is significantly determined by one’s own school prior experiences as a student and initial teaching experiences as a trainee teacher. Hungarian trainee teachers (N=10) majoring in English or German and their mentor teachers (N=8) participated in our study after completing the short 15-hour teaching practicum. Semi-structured interviews were recorded with the participants, whose responses were analysed, compared and categorized based on four focal points regarding the short teaching practice of the trainees: (1) language proficiency, (2) assessment, (3) perceived generational differences in teaching, and (4) language teacher identity development. In this paper, we briefly review the results of research on the development of language teacher identity, and then present the experiences and findings based on the responses and reflections to the interview questions. The mentor teachers often highlight that the linguistic preparation/proficiency of the trainees is nowadays a much more important issue during their practicum than their methodological preparation. Furthermore, trainees face challenges in the area of assessment at several points, such as the preparation of tests or the assessment of speaking. The findings clearly outline generational differences between trainees and mentor teachers, particularly in digital literacy. Finally, the development of trainees’ identity as language teachers reveal that identification with the teaching role are often influenced by factors that can be both supportive and detriment.