Have English Teachers Transformed Their Identity to Build a More Effective Language Awareness?
Lina Clemencia Betancurt Quintero – Universidad de Caldas, Colombia - ORCID
Liliana del Pilar Gallego Castaño – Universidad de Caldas, Colombia - ORCID
Abstract
In this article we examine how English teachers’ identity including their feelings, practices and cognitions influence their language awareness. Working within the framework of teachers’ identity and language awareness, teachers’ narratives were used to collect data and then, a content analysis was carried out through the ATLAS.ti software, using some deductive dimensions based on both approaches. Results suggest that English teachers’ identity is constructed based on their feelings and experiences which have led them to put grammar at the center of teaching, but they are not aware of their practices and of the role of the language to convey meaning and social competence. It is argued, then, that teachers need to be exposed to professional development programs that focus on conscious knowledge about language and the importance of that knowledge in teaching and learning.
Keyword: Teachers’ Language Awareness
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