Teacher identity in English language teaching: Challenges and transformations

The issue of teacher identity has been significant in contemporary English Language Teaching (ELT) as it has a bearing on teachers’ professional roles, pedagogical practices, classroom interaction and adaptability in changing educational environments. The present study is intended to explore students’ perceptions of the challenges and changes of teacher identity in ELT. This research used qualitative descriptive research design. The research subjects were 100 students of English Education Study Program at Samudra University selected by purposive sampling. Data were collected through questionnaires containing ten questions related to the challenges and transformations of teacher identity in contemporary ELT contexts. Descriptive qualitative analysis was used for data analysis through reduction, coding, thematic analysis, interpretation and descriptive presentation. The findings suggest that students perceive teacher identity as dynamic, multi-dimensional and continuously evolving in response to technological advance, institutional expectations, emotional engagement, pedagogical transformation and sociocultural interaction. The findings also show that linguistic legitimacy, technological competence, emotional support and continuous professional development are important aspects that influence teacher identity construction in ELT. Moreover, English teachers are perceived by students not only as knowledge providers but also as facilitators, motivators, emotional supporters and adaptive professionals. In conclusion, this paper advocates that the development of teacher identity should be promoted for the quality and sustainability of English language teaching in contemporary educational contexts.