Exploring the Possible Selves of Pre-Service English and Filipino Language Teachers: Insights into Language Teacher Preparation

Bonjovi H. Hajan, Sitti-Rasham S. Alang, Tarhata S. Miguel, Elvinia R. Alivio, Surma J. Werble, Cherry B. Alih, Masna Lakibul, Geanky O. Malinao

Abstract


Despite the growing interest in understanding the complex nature of possible selves among pre-service language teachers, an in-depth exploration into its intricacy and how this can directly inform language teacher preparation remains relatively scarce. Using qualitative-descriptive research design, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of the possible selves of pre-service English and Filipino language teachers, specifically focusing on identifying their hoped-for selves and feared selves as future language teachers. The participants were 20 pre-service language teachers from a state university in the southernmost part of the Philippines, evenly divided between Bachelor of Secondary Education-English and Bachelor of Secondary Education-Filipino, who were selected using purposive sampling technique. Data were collected through a reflective journal, an unstructured questionnaire which explored the participants’ experiences with 40-session practice teaching, and an experiential learning course which ran for 10 weeks. The reflective journals were analyzed thematically following an AI-assisted inductive thematic analysis procedure. The analysis revealed a complex panorama of pre-service English and Filipino language teachers’ possible selves, highlighting a myriad of their hoped-for and feared selves. The findings enhanced theoretical understanding of possible selves in language teacher education and further propounded the critical need for a multifaceted approach to language teacher preparation.

https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.23.8.22


Keywords


possible selves; pre-service language teachers; English; Filipino; teacher preparation

Full Text:

PDF

References


Amado, J. A., & Guerra, P. I. (2018). Behavioral problems of intermediate pupils as perceived by the teachers in selected public elementary schools. Journal of Education and Technology Management, 1(1), 34–40. https://research.lpubatangas.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/JETM-Vol1-005.pdf

Aslan, R. (2022). What kind of teacher I wish to be: Exploring prospective English language teachers’ future-oriented identities. Focus on ELT Journal, 4(1), 28–45. https://doi.org/10.14744/felt.2022.4.1.3

Atkins, M. A., & Rodgers, S. (2016). Pre-service teacher education for mental health and inclusion in schools. Exceptionality Education International, 26(2), 93–118. https://www.csmh.uwo.ca/docs/Atkins-Rodger-2016.pdf

Babano?lu, M. P. (2017). A Study on possible selves of Turkish pre-service EFL teachers. Arab World English Journal, 8(4), 39–48. https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol8no4.3

Bautista, M., Apostol, J. N., Malibiran, R., Obispo, K. P., & Asio, J. M. (2024). Emotional state of the pre-service teachers prior to field study: Basis for support and monitoring program. Formosa Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 3(3), 907–918. https://doi.org/10.55927/fjmr.v3i3.7598

Bessette, H. J., & Bennett, K. (2021). Supporting high quality teacher preparation: Results from a mentoring program for special education faculty - two years later. The Advocate, 27(1). https://doi.org/10.4148/2637-4552.1162

Bradshaw, C., Atkinson, S., & Doody, O. (2017). Employing a qualitative description approach in health care research. Global Qualitative Nursing Research, 4, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F2333393617742282

Chaaban, Y., Du, X., & Ellili-Cherif, M. (2019). Influence of the practicum experience on student teachers’ beliefs about their role in EFL. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 18(9), 78–95. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.18.9.4

Debnath, B. (2021). Possible selves, motivation, and classroom practices: A qualitative enquiry with English teachers in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 11(3), 251–261. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1103.04

El Masry, T., & Alzaanin, E. I. (2021). Uncovering new paths to adaptation: A case study of Malaysian English as a second language pre-service teachers. Arab World English Journal, 12(1), 421–442. https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol12no1.28

Erdem, C. (2020). Exploring the relationships between possible selves and early teacher identity of Turkish pre-service teachers. FIRE: Forum for International Research in Education, 6(3), 94–115. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1272507.pdf

Hamman, D., Gosselin, K., Romano, J., & Bunuan, R. (2010). Using possible-selves theory to understand the identity development of new teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(7), 1349–1361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.03.005

Hamman, D., Wang, E., & Burley, H. (2013). What I expect and fear next year: Measuring new teachers’ possible selves. Journal of Education for Teaching, 39(2), 222–234. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2013.765194

Hawkins, M., & Norton, B. (2009). Critical language teacher education. In A. Burns, & J. Richards (Eds.), Cambridge guide to second language teacher education (pp. 30–39). Cambridge University Press.

Hiver, P. (2013). The interplay of possible language teacher selves in professional development choices. Language Teaching Research, 17(2), 210–227. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168813475944

Hong, J., & Greene, B. (2011). Hopes and fears for science teaching: The possible selves of preservice teachers in a science education program. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 22(6), 491–512. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10972-011-9247-y

Horn, I. S., Nolen, S. B., Ward, C., & Campbell, S. (2008). Developing practices in multiple worlds: The role of identity in learning to teach. Teacher Education Quarterly, 35(3), 61–72. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ831716.pdf

Huang, Y., Richter, E., Kleickmann, T., & Richter, D. (2022). Class size affects preservice teachers’ physiological and psychological stress reactions: An experiment in a virtual reality classroom. Computers and Education, 184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104503

Kammayeea, M., & Tepsuriwong, S. (2024). A case study of an interplay of an in-service teacher’s possible selves in his professional development. LEARN Journal: Language Education and Acquisition Research Network, 17(1), 881–904. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1415561.pdf

Karim, A., Kabilan, M. K., Sultana, Amin, E. U., & Rahman, M. M. (2024). Reflecting on reflections concerning critical incidents in developing pre-service teachers’ professional identity: Evidence from a TESOL education project. English Teaching & Learning 48, 291–318. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42321-023-00140-1

Karimi, M. D., & Norouzi, M. (2019). Developing and validating three measures of possible language teacher selves. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 62, 49–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2019.04.006

Kostouros, P., Scarff, B., Millar, N., & Crossman, K. (K.). (2023). Trauma-informed teaching for teachers of English as an additional language. Traumatology, 29(2), 183–190. https://doi.org/10.1037/trm0000381

Kubanyiova, M. (2009). Possible selves in language teacher development. In Z. Dörnyei, E. Ushioda (Eds.), Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (pp. 314–332). Multilingual Matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781847691293-017

Kumazawa, M. (2013). Gaps too large: Four novice EFL teachers’ self-concept and motivation. Teaching and Teacher Education, 33, 45–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2013.02.005

Le, T. T., Phuong, H. Y., Nguyen, A. T., Pham, T. T., Thi, A. T. H., & Nguyen, H. T. (2023). Illuminating the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching odyssey: Unveiling the professional identities of pre-service teachers. F1000Research, 12(1086), 1–29. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.139547.1

Lutovac, S. (2020). How failure shapes teacher identities: Pre-service elementary school and mathematics teachers’ narrated possible selves. Teaching and Teacher Education, 94, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103120

Manlongat, M., D., Castor, A. D., De Chavez, R. B., Abila, R. D., Festijo, I. S., Fajilan, T. F., & Zuela, J. E. (2021). Impact of large class size on teachers’ emotional and physical conditions. International Multidisciplinary Research Journal, 3(4), 11–21. https://www.ioer-imrj.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Impact-of-Large-Class-Size-on-Teachers-Emotional-and-Physical-Conditions.pdf

Markus, H., & Nurius, P. (1986). Possible selves. American Psychologist, 41(9), 954–959. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.41.9.954

Moussaid, R., & Zerhouni, B. (2017). Problems of pre-service teachers during the practicum: An analysis of written reflections and mentor feedback. Arab World English Journal, 8(3), 135–153. https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol8no3.10

Nkealah, N., & Simango, J. (2023). Using critical pedagogy in English education: Disjunctures between pre-service teachers’ preparation and opportunities for implementation. Journal of Education, 90, 69–86. http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2520-9868/i90a04

Oyserman, D., & James, L. (2011). Possible identities. In S. J. Schwartz, K. Luyckx, & V. L. Vignoles (Eds.), Handbook of identity theory and research (pp. 117–145). Springer Science + Business Media. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7988-9_6

Pandee, M., Tepsuriwong, S., & Darasawang, P. (2020). The dynamic state of pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy: A critical incident study in Thailand. Issues in Educational Research, 30(4), 1442–1462. https://www.iier.org.au/iier30/pandee.pdf

Paris, L. (2010). Reciprocal mentoring residencies better transitions to teaching. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 35(3), 14–26. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ908202.pdf

Perkins, M. & Roe, J. (2024). The use of Generative AI in qualitative analysis: Inductive thematic analysis with ChatGPT. Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching, 7(1), 390–395. http://journals.sfu.ca/jalt/index.php/jalt/index

Quinto, E. J. M. (2018). Towards a possible selves-based model of language teacher identity among new teachers: An exploratory sequential analysis [PhD Dissertation, De La Salle University]. https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_doctoral/566/

Salmela-Aro, K., Hietajärvi, L., & Lonka, K. (2019). Work burnout and engagement profiles among teachers. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02254

Sang, Y. (2023). Seeing teacher identity through teachers’ beliefs: Narratives of pre-service EFL teachers in China. Language Teaching Research, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688231165349

Shapiro, S. (2010). Revisiting the teachers’ lounge: Reflections on emotional experience and teacher identity. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(3), 616–621. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2009.09.009

Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2010). Teacher self-efficacy and teacher burnout: A study of relations. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(4), 1059–1069. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2009.11.001

Stokes, H. (2022). Leading trauma-informed education practice as an instructional model for teaching and learning. Frontiers in Education, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.911328

Velasco, Y. P. (2019). Conceptualizing the practicum experience of pre-service English language teachers through reflection. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 18(2), 117–130. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.18.2.9

Vincent, C.G., Inglish, J., Girvan, E., Van Ryzin, M., Svanks, R., Springer, S., & Ivey, A. (2021). Introducing restorative practices into high schools’ multi-tiered systems of support: successes and challenges. Contemporary Justice Review, 24(4), 409–435. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10282580.2021.1969522


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


e-ISSN: 1694-2116

p-ISSN: 1694-2493