Cultural identity construction of Iranian EFL teachers: a narrative study in the context of private language institutes

Abstract

Purpose

This narrative study seeks to explore cultural identity (CI) construction of Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in light of Tong and Cheung's (2011) definition of CI.

Design/methodology/approach

Ten language teachers were selected using purposeful sampling. Data were collected through reflective teacher journals and focus group interviews. Murray's (2009) data analysis procedures were utilized to analyze the data, which included coding the transcripts of data, looking for connections between codes and grouping codes into categories, configuring the participants' story from the data, sending the story to the participants for their comments, carrying out a cross-story analysis and noting themes as they emerge from the stories.

Findings

The inductive analysis of data led to the emergence of three core themes: cultural engagement, openness to differences in L2 cultural values and social practices and navigation of a hybrid CI. That is, the EFL teachers defined their CIs in terms of their commitment to both native and target-language cultures as well as their preservation of cultural diversity.

Originality/value

Findings revealed that L2 acquisition leads to changes of soft cultural forms such as food, clothes and houses as well as modifications of hard cultural forms such as institutional systems and spiritual values. In fact, the participants of this study spoke of the crucial effects of the English language and its culture with regard to both soft and hard cultural forms such as values and standards that brought so many positive changes into their previous lifestyles, attitudes and behaviors.

Citation

Moradian, M.R., Ramezanzadeh, A. and Ershadi, F. (2022), "Cultural identity construction of Iranian EFL teachers: a narrative study in the context of private language institutes", Qualitative Research Journal, Vol. 22 No. 4, pp. 502-514. https://doi.org/10.1108/QRJ-03-2022-0036