Examining Factors That Affect Native Teacher Identity in Türkiye: Is Being a Teacher a Profession or A Calling

Teacher identity is the process by which teachers make sense of themselves as teachers and the ways and means they define their jobs as teachers in relation to people they share the teaching cycle with. Recent studies have shown that English teachers are constantly defining and redefining their professional identity as a result of immense changes in their professional beliefs, attitudes, perceptions, actions and the need to understand the dynamics in their teaching professions. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to shed light on the complex set of factors that shape the teacher identity of Native English Teachers in Türkiye. This study adopted a qualitative approach with a semi-structured interview and sampled 8 native teachers working in Türkiye as participants. These teachers were sampled through purposive sampling because the research context deems it fit as it offers the opportunity to sample key characteristics that are relevant to the study. Data were analyzed in through 6 key steps in order to understand the underlying themes. The findings suggested that safe and orderly school environments affect teacher identity of native teachers in Türkiye. Regarding school leadership and how it affects teacher identity, it was observed that clear and focused school leadership had the ability to positively affect teacher identity. Similarly, Parent-Teacher collaborations or relationships such as parent involvement in school decisions were found to affect teacher identity just as gender and students’ expectations.