Imagination Development as a Construct for Professional Identity of Early Career English Teachers Working at Public Schools: Contributions of Interactions With Learners

Abstract

This paper reports on a study that explored the professional identity development of two early career English-language teachers in Vietnam. The data collected for the study included the observation notes from classroom teaching and recordings from semi-structured interviews in which the participating teachers reflected on their work and their interactions with students. Findings suggested that they demonstrated a certain degree of devotion and vulnerability, adopted an orientation towards openness, and considered themselves as learners in the process of learning how to teach. Implications regarding the necessity of teacher agency are then discussed in the context of teacher education programmes.