Teacher Identity Construction of Non-Local English-Speaking EFL Teachers in the Intercultural Adaptation Process

Abstract

Non-local English-speaking EFL teachers are increasingly employed in the outer or expanding circle of English-speaking countries, but little is known about how these non-local EFL teachers construct their language teacher identity while they go through the intercultural adaptation process. Employing the narrative analysis, this study analysed the data of the in-depth interviews with three non-local English-speaking EFL teachers in one Chinese university and explored their teacher identity construction in the process of intercultural adaptation. Three major types of intercultural challenges were identified in their cross-cultural work in Chinese tertiary education. It was also found that the non-local EFL teachers strategically shift their teacher identities and instrumentalize their non-local identity to adapt to their intercultural teaching work and to empower themselves professionally in the language classes. This study contributes to the understanding of identity making in the intercultural adaptation process and provides implications for the adaptive policymaking and training for non-local teachers.