A Study on Teacher Identity Construction in Virtual Teaching Research Community

Teacher's identity is the core and important driving force in teacher's professional development. Employing a narrative inquiry approach, and drawing on reflective journals, classroom observations, and in-depth interviews, this study explores the trajectory of identity transformation experienced by an international Chinese teacher within the multilingual-teaching-reform virtual teaching-research community. It is found that teacher identity changes from marginal participants to active participants, from theoretical adherents to theory-informed practitioners, from skilled teachers to teaching researchers. The construction of teacher identity was shaped by teachers' development needs and agency, the environment of virtual teaching-research community, and the interaction between teaching theory and practice. The conclusions of the study offer insights for the construction of virtual teaching-research community and for the professional development of international Chinese language teachers.