EFL STUDENT-TEACHERS’ IMAGINED IDENTITY AND INVESTMENT IN TEACHING COMPETENCY DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Discovering an imagined identity and investment in teaching competency development of English as a Foreign Language student-teachers has gradually become one of the most significant issues in English language teaching field. The study aims to unravel imagined identity and the extent of investment in developing teaching competency of English as a Foreign Language student-teachers at a university in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Questionnaires were utilized to collect data from 96 English as a Foreign Language student-teachers. The findings revealed that to construct an imagined identity, they should improve English language proficiency, practice English language teaching reflections, develop teacher professional identity, accumulate English language teaching experiences, and acquire specialized knowledge and discourse in English language teaching. In addition, the findings also indicated that the four components, namely skills, knowledge, attitudes of English language teaching, and English language skills should all be invested in developing the teaching competency of English as a Foreign Language student-teachers.