Negotiation of emotions in emerging language teacher identity of graduate instructors

This study investigates the emerging teacher identities of international graduate students teaching Korean as a foreign language (KFL), negotiated through the dynamic work of emotions according to a socio-cultural context. Data were drawn from two rounds of interviews with five international students enrolled in a graduate program at an American university. The qualitative analysis of these interviews revealed that their emotional experiences from teaching KFL courses revolved around their perceptions of teacher authority and (non)-nativeness of Korean and English during interactions with local students. The negotiation of identities was fostered by the ways in which the teachers responded emotionally to culturally different norms of teacher-student interactions. Given the differences between Korean and American academic contexts, some of them were able to activate positive emotions (e.g., being compassionate toward their students) and embrace the local cultural norms. Accordingly, a new professional teacher identity emerged, which was more like “a friend” than an authoritative teacher. This negotiated teacher identity improved classroom interaction, which led to positive emotional rewards (e.g., pride and confidence). These cases are discussed to highlight the transformation of emotions and cultivation of foreign language teacher identity in a localized context.