Systemic Tensions and ESOL Teacher Identity Development

The study reports on the professional identity development of an Iranian novice ESOL teacher, Vahid, in a public high school. It uses Gee's (2000) identity framework and Engeström's (2015) activity theory. The data were collected through eight narrative frames, eight semi-structured interviews, and four teaching journals over one year. Data were analyzed through narrative analysis and analysis of narrative (Polkinghorne, 1995); the former was guided by storytelling and the latter by the theoretical framework. Vahid had a strong affinity for teaching the English language as a communicative practice, but the community of his activity system did not share his beliefs. This contradiction was compounded by the rules of his teaching activity system. In the face of these contradictions, Vahid experienced emotional and cognitive dissonance, which created inconsistencies among his identities. Despite his efforts to resolve them, Vahid considered leaving the profession. The implication is that novices need emotional support and a critical understanding of their teaching situation, but that multiple perspectives are needed both for researching and for overcoming systemic tensions.