Investigating the place of religion within the professional identity construction of two Muslim English language teachers in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Whereas the topic of “Religion” has garnered considerable scholarly attention in the general education literature, its place within TESOL circles has long been contentious. It is only recently that the religious dimension of the TESOL profession and professionals has seen the light of day. Yet, even when the literature in ELT does engage with these issues, it mostly investigates links between evangelical Christianity and ELT. The relationship between other religions [e.g., Islam] and English language education remains remarkably underexplored. This qualitative multiple case study is an endeavor to address this scholarly gap as it investigates the place of religion within the professional identity construction of two male Saudi Muslim English language teachers in Saudi Arabia. By drawing on in-depth interviews as the primary source of data, and following the principles of an abductive content analysis approach, the study illuminates that Islam was central to the participants’ professional identities in three significant ways, namely: (1) supporting their wellbeing, (2) shaping their relationships with students, and (3) providing them with a sense of duty to safeguard students’ religious values. The study concludes with both theoretical and pedagogical implications as well as future research directions.