Conversations with EFL Teachers: Toward an Understanding of Whiteness in the Classroom

Few teachers would question that teaching is a contextual and situational process, yet as Gay (2000) reminds us, too few teachers have sufficient knowledge ofhow teaching practices reflect dominant cultural values. This qualitative study explored whiteness in the EFL classroom and the relation between teacher identity and pedagogy. This research was shaped by the overarching research questions: How does being white influence teachers ' educational practices? How can teachers successfully negotiate cross-cultural teaching? Data included open-ended interviews, a content analysis ofEFL training materials, and my research and personal journals. The experiences of five EFL teachers form the central focus of this study. My personal story, as a white EFL teacher, is also included throughout this thesis. This study offers a detailed description of the complex and dynamic ways in which these five teachers understood their racial identities, and the classroom decisions they made in response to their understandings. Included in the discussion are the strategies that my participants and I used to subtly resist the notion and exploration of racial privilege. Implications for teacher education programs and possible directions for further study are offered