Professional Identities of Local Japanese Teachers of English (JTEs) Vis-à-Vis their Foreign Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs)

Abstract

The team-teaching approach between local language teachers (non-native English-speaking teachers: NNESTs) and foreign language teachers (native English-speaking teachers: NESTs) has been implemented in a number of countries. Japan is no exception. Team teaching in Japan—conducted by local Japanese teachers of English (JTEs) and foreign assistant language teachers (ALTs), particularly through the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program—has received high acclaim both domestically and internationally. Nevertheless, empirical studies on these team teachers’ identities remain insufficient. The purpose of this article is to describe and elucidate the identities of one cohort of those team teachers in Japan: those of the JTEs through the lens of their relationships with their ALTs. Data were gathered via narrative interviews from eight JTEs who differed in terms of demographic variables. The findings underscored that JTEs predominantly perceive their professional reflexive identities as (a) inadequate language teachers and (b) overworked caregivers, shedding light on the nuanced dynamics within this collaborative teaching paradigm.