The teacher identity of non-native & non-Chinese pre-service English teachers in Hong Kong

This paper investigates the teacher identity of non­Chinese, non­native pre­service English teachers that are currently emerging in the English language teaching field in Hong Kong. Considering the teaching practicum that placed these groups of pre­service teachers in local schools, their self­perceived identity, views on the teacher profession established in Hong Kong; native­English teachers (NETs) and local English teachers (LETs) and perspectives of stakeholders in schools are analyzed to understand how these factors contribute in constructing their identities as English teachers. In­depth interviews are conducted with three non­Chinese, non­native pre­service teachers who are in their final year of completing their English education programme and their interviews are examined to indicate recurring themes and keywords, which is then organized into different categories to represent the different aspects of teacher identity. The findings suggest that these pre­service teachers’ construction of their teacher identity highly depend on their personal experiences at the practicum and their own beliefs in how they choose to adapt. However, as these teachers are at the beginning stage of their teaching career, a more legitimate teacher identity will be constructed when they enter the profession full­time. The study has significant implications on teacher education programmes, indicating support is needed to better prepare these pre­service teachers to overcome challenges in the real teaching field.