Identity negotiation and demonstration of agency in two non-native English speaking teachers in the United States

Abstract

This study examines the identity negotiation of two in-service non-native English speaking teachers (NNESTs)
and explores how they demonstrated agency to empower themselves as legitimate educators in the field of
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in the United States. Concepts of agency framed this
study and supported the researcher investigating the NNESTs’ identity negotiation. The data included semistructured interviews, non-participant class observations, and documents related to the participants’ school
websites and their course syllabi and handouts. The findings indicated that initially both NNESTs perceived their
identities with deficit perspectives, and at the beginnings of their teaching careers, these perspectives
influenced their professional legitimacy as educators in the TESOL field in the United States. Both NNESTs,
however, exercised their agency to strengthen their professional legitimacy, and they also demonstrated greater
agency to use their NNESTs identities as pedagogical resources. The study also suggests directions for teacher
education and TESOL programs.