PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION OF TWO EFL TEACHERS IN VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOLS: EVIDENCE FROM INDONESIA

While studies on teacher professional identity construction have been extensively documented, there is a paucity of research that explores English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ professional identity construction in vocational high school contexts. To address such a gap, this paper reports on a narrative inquiry into two Indonesian EFL teachers’ professional identity construction in vocational schooling sectors. Data were primarily garnered through online semi-structured interview with the participants. Encapsulated by Gee’s (2000) and Mockler’s (2011) identity frameworks, the study’s findings suggest that 1) the participants’ teacher professional identity is constructed by social-collegial interaction, school policy enactment, and past experience and future aspirations, and 2) their identity is developed across time geared by family support, gendered perception, engagement with colleagues, and interest in the English language. This paper ends with suggestions for in-service teacher education to design pedagogy that leads teachers into systemic professional identity trainings