The Role of Community of Practice in Identity (Re)construction in Pre-service EFL Teachers

While research in teacher identity has become very popular, the role played by participation in the community of practice in the (re)construction of teacher identity still remains unresolved. This study aimed at examining how the pre-service teachers construct teaching identities (Wenger, 2002). Ten pre-service teachers participated in a qualitative study to explore issues regarding construction of teaching identity within the framework of community of practice. The data were collected via two interviews, a stimulated reflective diary and a focus group to allow for the triangulation of the data. The results showed that communities of practice contribute to constructing the pre-service teacher identities, and the dimensions of mutual engagement and imagination were found crucial in (re)construction of teacher identity while alignment was not found to play a role in this process. The major implication from this research is that there are people, materials, places, technologies and processes which are involved in the construction and reconstruction of teaching identity, and by manipulating these components the administrators and teacher trainers might be able to facilitate the process.