Nonnative English-speaking teachers in the United States: issues of identity

Abstract

The present study investigated how nonnative English-speaking teachers (NNESTs) working in K-12 schools in the United States perceive their identities in relation to the school environment and its norms, their coworkers and administrators and the students and their families. Specific attention was given to the teachers’ concerns prior to arrival and how initial challenges were overcome, their experiences in establishing authority and creating a positive self-image in relation to the school community and the role that language (in particular their status as NNESTs, and their bi/multilingual skills) played in defining these concerns and experiences. Results showed that teachers’ bi/multilingual skills were crucial in defining their identities as unique professionals with cultural sensitivity to students’ realities. However, it was also evident that native-speakerism (Holliday 2006) still affects the ways in which NNESTs are perceived (both by themselves and by others) in the school environment.

Keywords:

• ESL
• identity
• ideology
• bilingual teachers
• linguistic identity

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Professor Karen Adams from Arizona State University for her valuable comments on this piece. Any errors and omissions that remain in this study are my responsibility.