Chapter 7: Myths, Memories and “Chasing Stories”: Exploring Professional Identity in the Narratives of University Language Teachers

In the last decade the use of written and oral narratives is evident in a great deal of educational research. Since Clandinin and Connelly’s influential research (1990, 1994, 1995, 2000), the growing use of teachers’ narratives reflects interest in their professional roles and identities (Beattie, 2000; Beijaard, Meijor, & Verloop, 2004; Burley, 2003; Clough, 2002; Conle, Li, & Tan, 2002; Craig, 2007; Day, Kingston, Stobart, & Sammons, 2006; Shank, 2006; Sikes, 1992; Phillion & Connelly, 2004; Zembylas, 2003). It should be noted that in educational research, the term “narrative” generally refers to the oral and written autobiographies of teachers’ experiences (Vasquez, 2007), rather than discourse that is defined by a particular structure (see Labov & Waletzky, 1968). For example, in her analysis of narratives told by student teachers, Beattie (2000) demonstrates the interconnectedness between the personal and the professional in creating a professional identity. Likewise, in their analysis of student teachers’ narratives, Conle, Li and Tan (2004) examine how teachers’ professional identity is often acquired vicariously through autobiographical descriptions of teaching found in literature. Similarly, through the stories of five women academics, Acker (1997) explores the professional identity of women who, as “late starters” in their academic careers, attempt to catch up with younger colleagues. Following these other studies, the present study uses the term “narrative” to denote a “personal experience story,” in which the narrator “relates the self…to a significant set of personal experiences” (Denzin, 1989, p. 38); consequently, “narrative” and “story” are used interchangeably.