Constructing teacher’s identity: a descriptive study of Saudi English Teaching Assistants within native-speakerism and Global Englishes Language Teaching

Teachers’ professional identity is vital to effective language teaching (Wang & Derakhshan, 2024). However, native-speakerism, the belief that native speakers are inherently superior language teachers, can burden NNESTs’ professional identity construction. Global Englishes Language Teaching (GELT), which challenges native-speaker-oriented assumptions and emphasizes English diversity, provides a relevant lens for examining identity construction. Although teacher identity has been explored within Global Englishes-related paradigms and in the Saudi EFL context, research connecting these strands in Saudi Arabia remains limited. This qualitative study investigates how five Saudi English Teaching Assistants (SETAs) construct their professional identities within a native-speakerist context and how these constructions resonate with GELT principles. Inductive analysis of semi-structured interviews yielded nine themes representing different forms of identity construction. Six themes resonated with GELT-related principles, including multilingualism, global ownership of English, cultural identity, and alternative conceptions of teacher legitimacy. The findings highlight individual orientations as a starting point for broader GELT-informed ELT practices.