Exploring the Interplay between EFL Teachers' Professional Identity and Continuous Professional Development: A Phenomenological Study

An exponential growth of research interest has been directed towards the significance of teachers' professional identity (TPI) which plays a pivotal role in their teaching practices. The current study was conducted to shed light on the professional identity of Iranian teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL), their common types of continuous professional development (CPD) activities, and the interplay between them. The research design employed in this qualitative study was a phenomenological approach, utilizing purposive sampling to select a group of 11 EFL teachers at a private language institute in Kerman, Iran. The sample consisted of 5 male and 6 female teachers. For data collection, semi-structured interviews were used and thematic analysis, proposed by Braun and Clarke (2006), was implemented for data analysis. The results indicated that Iranian EFL teachers conceptualized their PI in terms of teacher cognition, teacher emotion, participation in communities of practice, teacher biographies, contextual factors, and teacher learning. The findings also revealed that personal and contextual factors affected the engagement of EFL teachers in various types of CPD endeavors. Finally, TPI had a positive impact on teachers' pedagogical knowledge, professionalism, working atmosphere, and personal growth. The study has several multifaceted implications for educators, educational institutions, and policymakers.