Transnational language teachers emotional vulnerability and professional identity construction: An ecological perspective

Abstract

Despite the recent growth of attention to language teachers’emotionalvulnerability, little research has explored emotional vulnerability andidentity construction among transnational teachers. Drawing on anecological theoretical lens, we explored the emotional vulnerability andprofessional identity construction of transnational language teachersworking in the context of Turkey. Data were collected from open-endedquestionnaires, narrative frames, and semi-structured interviews. Dataanalysis revealed that across the three classroom (micro), institutional(meso), and sociocultural (macro) ecologies, the transnational teachersexperienced contextually-invoked emotional conflicts that positionedtheir identities in a vulnerable state. Most notably, we found thattransnational teachers need to become contextually adaptable to thethree ecologies in order to develop professional coping strategies thatsafeguard them against the chronicle stressors of their profession andcontext. We situate such adaptability within implications calling forholding preparatory courses that facilitate transnational teachers’transition to the new setting with the hope of positively contributing totheir effective professional identity construction.