Becoming a Heritage Language Teacher: Exploring Professional Identity Formation through Drama
type: CreativeWork
description: Abstracting Abstract Becoming1 a heritage language teacher: exploring professional identity formation through drama Immigrants often pursue careers for which they lack formal training in their host country (Roshid & Chowdhury, 2013). Many leverage their linguistic identities and seize job opportunities, frequently teaching their native language as a heritage language within diasporic communities to reinforce cultural ties (Minty et al., 2008a). In doing so, heritage language teachers (HLTs) become invaluable resources for the communities they support. This research investigates the professional journeys of HLTs to understand the formation of their professional identities. It seeks to address two primary questions: (1) What do the narratives of heritage language teachers reveal about their professional pathways? and (2) How can dramatic activities and practices identify the formation of identities? To explore these questions, a case study approach was adopted to examine the construction of professional identity among HLTs (Beijaard et al., 2004). Dramatic activities and storytelling were employed both as data collection methods and as tools for unravelling the participants' narratives (Fox, 2007). These methods provide a comprehensive view of HLT identity, enabling their stories to unfold organically. Crucially, several key components have been identified as contributing to their emerging professional identities: prior professions, motherhood, immigrant identity, socio-linguistic experiences, and the embodied practice of language. This research offers novel insights into HLT professional identity formation by (1) highlighting the role of immigrant resilience in shaping these identities and (2) employing dramatic activities to explore the relationship between identity and pedagogy. While grounded in personal experience, this research incorporates other perspectives that amplify shared lived experiences. The theoretical frameworks underpinning this study include “socia…
abstract: Abstracting Abstract Becoming1 a heritage language teacher: exploring professional identity formation through drama Immigrants often pursue careers for which they lack formal training in their host country (Roshid & Chowdhury, 2013). Many leverage their linguistic identities and seize job opportunities, frequently teaching their native language as a heritage language within diasporic communities to reinforce cultural ties (Minty et al., 2008a). In doing so, heritage language teachers (HLTs) become invaluable resources for the communities they support. This research investigates the professional journeys of HLTs to understand the formation of their professional identities. It seeks to address two primary questions: (1) What do the narratives of heritage language teachers reveal about their professional pathways? and (2) How can dramatic activities and practices identify the formation of identities? To explore these questions, a case study approach was adopted to examine the construction of professional identity among HLTs (Beijaard et al., 2004). Dramatic activities and storytelling were employed both as data collection methods and as tools for unravelling the participants' narratives (Fox, 2007). These methods provide a comprehensive view of HLT identity, enabling their stories to unfold organically. Crucially, several key components have been identified as contributing to their emerging professional identities: prior professions, motherhood, immigrant identity, socio-linguistic experiences, and the embodied practice of language. This research offers novel insights into HLT professional identity formation by (1) highlighting the role of immigrant resilience in shaping these identities and (2) employing dramatic activities to explore the relationship between identity and pedagogy. While grounded in personal experience, this research incorporates other perspectives that amplify shared lived experiences. The theoretical frameworks underpinning this study include “socia…
author: Perez-Cordero, Heidy
language: eng
keywords: applied drama, creative thesis, decolonising, heritage language pedagogy, heritage language teacher, immigrant identity, poetic inquiry, professional identity formation
license: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/1ee1ea09-c5b0-495e-a58c-4bd648f5a358/download
license: http://purl.org/NET/rdflicense/allrightsreserved
date published: 2025-03-18
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:24:08Z
provider: Cambridge University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Cambridge

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.17863/CAM.126480