3.6 Conceptual framework for the study

Drawing on the literature review on teachers’ identity formation and language teachers’ identity construction, a tentative conceptual framework that guides the present study is established. The conceptual framework not only encompasses the integrated notions and diferent variables that constitute LTI but denotes the relationship between diferent variables.

The conceptual framework is firstly built on knowledge about teachers’ identity and then language teachers’ identity. Research on LTI sets its roots in how identity has been defined and is informed by copious research on teachers’ identity. Recent conceptualizations of teachers’ identity seem to reflect postmodern views on identity,describing teachers’ identity as involving “sub-identities”, as being “an ongoing process of construction” and as “relating to various social contexts and relationships” (Akkerman &Meijer, 2011, p.310). In this sense, LTI, as one of the sub-categories of teachers’ identity,has been simply put as how teachers see themselves as language teachers (English language, bilingual, or foreign/ world language teachers) and how others see them—a claimed and assigned identity (Varghese et al., 2005, p.21). Researchers argue that LTI contains three layers of meaning: a combination of a language teacher’s self-positioning of who he/she is and others’ collective conceptions of who he/she is; a continuous process of becoming, which is constantly negotiated with various resources available within certain social, cultural, historical and political context; and the pursuit of membership in a community school environment, but also by changes in their personal lives (Xu, 2017, p.122).

Elements that constitute LTI are the center of the conceptual framework. LTI has been an elusive, vague and implicit notion until Pennington and Richard (2016) explicitly interpret what elements should be included in the LTI. As mentioned in section 2.4.3, LTI consists of four major strains of competences required for teaching: teachers’ knowledge base, teachers’ belies, teachers’ agentive quality and their instructional practice in the classroom.

The conceptual framework shows various shaping factors that impact LTI construction and interplay of different variables. The literature review suggests that empirical studies have explored the LTI from diverse perspectives which can be generally grouped into three categories: personal, professional and contextual. The personal dimension basically includes language teachers’ personal biographies, important others, critical life events and so forth; the professional dimension of LTI demonstrates influences of teacher education programs, new pedagogies and teachers’ community of practices; the contextual factors acknowledge social dimensions which are powerful in shaping language teachers’ professional identity. Previous studies suggest that national curriculum reforms, workplace environment, local community cultures, relationship with colleagues all have been evidenced by the literature as powerful factors that influence the development of LTI.

To summarize, based on the conceptualizations of language teachers’ identity,which is constituted by various sub-identities and constantly influenced by a range of personal, professional and contextual factors, a tentative conceptual framework has been established and is mapped in Figure 3.2: