Integrating Identity into Language Teacher Education: Teacher Educators’ Perceptions of Their Pedagogical Practices

This article reports the results of a qualitative interview study that investigates language teacher educators’ reported practices in relation to integrating language teacher identity (LTI) into a master’s level English language teacher education program at an Australian university. The study employs Varghese et al.’s (2005) framework to examine practices and discourses that teacher educators encouraged or raised awareness of in their teachers-in-training. The interview findings identify three levels of LTI integration ( explicit, implicit, and theoretical) and find that implicit integration is most common. Three kinds of pedagogical practices are identified that are closely connected to common discourses in language teacher education: bridging theory and practice, shifting away from deficit-based discourses, and developing critical reflexivity through reflective practice. Although these practices were not necessarily explicitly aimed at encouraging teachers-in-training to reflect on their identities as language teachers, the teacher educators perceived these practices as nonetheless contributing to LTI development of teachers-in-training. The study critically discusses the results in light of calls that have been made to integrate LTI more centrally into the pedagogy of language teacher education.