Positioning, Agency, and English Language Learners: Voices of Pre-Service Classroom Teachers

Recent literature of identity has demonstrated strong impact on teachers' professional development and formation in educational industry. This study explores the (re) identity negotiations and agency of five Thai pre-service student teachers majoring in English language who received their internships at a secondary school in Eastern Thailand. Drawing upon theories of identity construction, narrative positioning perspective, and using in-depth interview, the case highlights how pre-service teachers' identities formation was positioned and shaped by university-school internship. Finding suggests that pre-service teachers perceive challenging to their self-positioning as English teachers in the classroom, varies positional identities to their school context (e.g. supervisor, mentor, colleagues, etc.), and sometimes conflicting identities. Through discussion of excerpts from the teachers' narrative, the study argues that the negotiation between multiple identities and positioning are necessary part of the construction of identity of pre-service teachers as they are newcomers in the field of teaching. The analysis presented provides implications for teachers, pre-service teachers of English language, and teacher education. [This paper was published in: The 2nd International Conference on Applied Liberal Arts (ICAA2019): Liberal Arts for Interdisciplinary Practice and Research (p. 143-151). Bangkok, Thailand: Faculty of Liberal Arts, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang.]