Second Language Teachers’ Identity Development through Online Collaboration with L2 Learners

The sociocultural perspective of second language teacher education (L2TE) (e.g., Johnson, 2009) values the importance of teacher development through actual teaching practice. Student teachers’ (STs) initial beliefs should be challenged and reconstructed by taking into account particular teaching contexts. This study investigated the advantages of conducting online activities with L2 learners in L2TE. Using activity theory framework (Leontiev, 1981; Vygotsky, 1981), this study addressed the following questions: (a) What contradictions emerge during online activities? and (b) How do the contradictions relate to STs’ identity development? The native speaking STs in a Japanese language education program engaged in three wiki activities with learners from Japanese language classes abroad. Data were collected and included the STs’ autobiographical statements, journals, final reflections, on-site peer dialog, and observation notes. Contradictions between and within elements of the activity system (Engeström, 1999) were identified and triangulated across the data sets. The data illustrated that the STs who initially relied on their native speaker authority gradually realized the socially and culturally complex roles required for L2 teachers. These findings suggest that online activities in L2TE provide opportunities for not only media literacy but also professional identity development.