Inclusion or exclusion?: A narrative inquiry of a language teacher’s identity experience in the ‘new work order’ of competing pedagogies

This paper investigates how an EFL teacher negotiates her identity to adapt to the ‘new work order’ in an English education department at a university in China. From a narrative inquiry perspective, it aims to illuminate the complexity of teacher identity in the context of a reform where teachers must reconcile conflicting selves in order to contend with a workplace in which liberal and traditional pedagogies coexist. The findings show that teachers need to shift their identities to survive change. Exclusion from the workplace community of practice can be seen as an alternative form of participation in the reform practices.

Research highlights► The research is one of the few empirical studies that use narrative inquiry to look at teachers’ identity in language education and TESOL. ► The research illuminates the complexity of teacher identity in educational reforms. ► The research examines the role of workplace in teachers’ professional development. ► The research addresses the criticism of community of practice for only focusing on the inbound trajectory of learning (inclusion), with teachers’ stories of being excluded from the community.