Abstract:

In this presentation, researchers will share the findings of an international, longitudinal study that inquired about factors that shape in-service teachers’ decisions of becoming teachers of English as a foreign language in different regions of the world. The ultimate goal of this longitudinal study is to promote and expand understanding of teachers’ career choices, especially of EFL teachers in different regional and historical global settings.

Using a qualitative narrative study design, data were collected from 25 in-service teachers from Middle Eastern, Asian, African and Latin American countries. Twelve of the participants were recipients of the US Department of State via Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) scholarship and participants in the Teaching Excellence and Achievement (TEA) program organized by IREX. The other thirteen participants were non-funded in- service EFL teachers.

Written reflections, life stories and histories triggered by a semi-structured questionnaire, provided the researchers with insight into teachers’ decision-making process before becoming EFL educators. Researchers were interested in analyzing how EFL in-service teachers from different countries around the world used narratives, counter-narratives and reflections to demonstrate their career choice process and self-portrayed professional identities amidst a great choice of university careers.

Findings indicated that in-service teachers reflect and base their career decision-making process within three comprehensive thematic areas, i.e. personal realization, support system and access to education, More specifically EFL in-service teachers use narratives and counter narratives to express their stories and life histories. By using narratives and counter-narratives, they are able to write about non-explicit factors that influence their choice of career.

Counter- narratives afforded participants the opportunity to occupy a space where they can refer to contrastive realities that question the expected discourse (Ladson-Billings, 1995; Milner and Howard, 2013). Participants relied on their families and friends as a support system that reassured them of their career choices, however, by using counter -narratives participants acknowledged there are many other “counter” messages and discourses beneath the official, most accepted discourse.

Keywords:

Teachers of English and a foreign language, teachers' career choices, qualitative narrative study design, narratives, counter-narratives, international studies.