Empirical In-service Teachers’ Identities in an ELT Education Program

Abstract

This article aims to show a narrative study on the (re)construction of the identity of empirical in-service teachers who are in the last semester of the Virtual Bachelor of English Language Teaching at a private university in Bogotá, Colombia. After analyzing the two participants’ experiences, collected through semi-structured interviews, three categories emerged: Sense of belonging; Giving my 100%, and Expectations. The main research findings were that empirical in-service teachers identified themselves as teachers based on their ideas based on experience and that professional education has served primarily as a way to improve and find better job opportunities. We conclude that the participants shaped their identity based on their empirical teaching experience rather than their professional training.