Becoming a Heritage Language Teacher: Exploring Professional Identity Formation through Drama
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 “social anchoring” related to immigrant identity (Grzymala-Kazlowska, 2016), multilingual identity (Fisher et al., 2020), and applied drama (Nicholson, 2014). These frameworks investigate the intricate and evolving processes of identity development in the context of the host country (Erikson, 1968). The data, collected through varied research methods, revealed significant challenges faced by participants as immigrants navigating the UK labour market and professional landscapes. The narratives demonstrated that resilience was central to their identity formation, illustrating how overcoming adversity is integral to their professional development. Moreover, the applied drama framework positions the researcher as a facilitator of drama workshops, fostering a safe environment for dialogue, expression, collaboration, and self-reflection. Through a series of drama exercises designed to explore identity formation, a reflexivity model was developed to guide participants. These exercises act as stimuli, eliciting memories and lived experiences that are embodied through the use of objects, the creation of artefacts, and the enactment of their stories. This process examines the concepts of perception and identification as triggers for empathy. Such empathy, cultivated among participants, has the potential to extend to their learners, thereby strengthening teacher-student connections and enriching the teaching and learning process. 1 Abstract based on the found poetry technique, which identifies poetic elements in prose to condense the text, conveying more with fewer words.
applied drama, creative thesis, decolonising, heritage language pedagogy, heritage language teacher, immigrant identity, poetic inquiry, professional identity formation
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