TEACHER IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT OF PRE-SERVICE EFL TEACHERS DURING TEACHING PRACTICUM: A MIXED-METHOD INVESTIGATION OF CONTEXTUAL FACTORS

Abstract

In the last decade, teacher identity has become a widely studied concept in the field of English Language Teaching, and this is no exception in the context of teaching English as a foreign language in Vietnam. Its pivotal role in helping teachers develop themselves in a sustainable way has been well-established in the existing literature. However, there have been few studies that explore the stories of Vietnamese pre-service EFL teachers’ identity development , especially in the Mekong Delta, resulting in a lack of much-needed insights into a crucial stage of teacher identity construction and reconstruction. To address this gap, this mixed-method study was conducted to investigate the impact of contextual factors on teacher identity development of Vietnamese pre-service EFL teachers in the Mekong Delta during their teaching practicum. An analysis of quantitative data from 71 online survey respondents and qualitative data from five semi-structured, focus group interviews with 24 pre-service EFL teachers revealed that student-related factors, most notably their English proficiency and attitude, had the most significant impact on pre-service EFL teachers’ conception of themselves as teachers and their beliefs about effective teaching. It is hoped that this study will provide teacher trainers, pre-service EFL teachers, and teacher education curriculum designers with valuable insights and will serve as the starting point for further research on the matter in the Mekong Delta.