Professional Identities of English as a Second Language (ESL) Teachers in State and Non-State Higher Education Institutes: A Comparative Analysis

Since teacher professional identity offers valuable insights into teaching as it is practiced in actual classroom contexts, research on this topic has been gathering more and more attention over the years. However, despite its significance, there have been very few studies on teacher professional identities of ESL teachers from state and non-state higher education institutes. Thus, this study aims to identify identities that constitute the professional identity of ESL teachers and to compare the similarities and differences of the professional identity of ESL teachers in the Sri Lankan higher education sector. In terms of the research design, the study adopted a qualitative approach. As such, data was collected through semi-structured interviews with six ESL teachers from state and non-state universities, and the data was then analyzed using the method of thematic analysis. According to data, the study found three identities that are common to both state and non-state university teachers: the motivator, the friendly teacher, and the advocate of communicative language teaching. Moreover, the study also found teacher identities that are unique to state and non- state university ESL teachers. The identities that are unique to state university teachers are promotor of value-based pedagogy, advocate of critical pedagogy, and ESL teacher at a state university. The facilitator, knowledge seeker, and continuous learner were found to be unique identities of non-state university teachers. While providing insight into ESL teacher identity formation and its contributory factors in the higher education landscape, this study recommends further research to validate and expand upon these findings across different contexts and larger participant groups. Keywords: ESL teachers; Teacher professional identity; State and non-state universities; Thematic analysis