The Interplay of Language Teacher Identity and Emotion in Pre‐service English Student Teaching: A Focused Ethnographic Study

Abstract While language teacher identity and emotion are essential in shaping teaching, teacher learning, and teacher professionalization, much remains unknown about their reciprocal interplay in pre‐service teachers' student teaching experiences. To bridge this gap, the present study employed a focused ethnographic method to explore a group of pre‐service English teachers' experiences of teacher identities and emotions in teaching practicums. Based on classroom observations and semi‐structured interviews, the qualitative data analytical results demonstrated four themes that revealed the complex relationships between the two constructs, including (1) teacher identities triggering positive emotions, (2) teacher identities triggering negative emotions, (3) teacher emotions triggering teacher identity development, and (4) teacher emotions triggering teacher identity tensions. Based on these results, a conceptual model was developed to crystallize the interplay of language teacher identity and emotion, providing a clearer understanding of the intertwined relationship between the constructs. The limitations of this study and directions for future research are also discussed.