Making Sense of Teacher Identity Tensions through Critical Autoethnographic Narrative: Pedagogizing Identity in Teacher Education

In this chapter, the authors report on a study in which they examined Ufuk’s (Author2) teacher identity tensions in his critical autoethnographic narrative (CAN) which he wrote as part of a graduate course that Bedrettin (Author1) taught. Framing their study on Bedrettin’s conceptualization of CAN as a pedagogical learning activity, the authors explored teacher identity tensions Ufuk grappled with. Further, they scrutinized how Ufuk constructed his language teacher identity as he navigated those tensions. The authors analyzed data gleaned from several course assignments Ufuk completed under Bedrettin’s guidance. The first tension Ufuk experienced was transitioning from accuracy-based language learning to fluency-oriented teaching practice. Second, he experienced tensions of in-betweenness at university regarding his socioeconomic status, monocultural background, and lack of productive language skills. Third, he went through tensions in teaching English as he lacked formal teacher preparation. Overall, his tensions pointed to the complex ongoing interplay between macro, meso, and micro levels of language (teacher) education policies and practices in his identity construction.