Investigating the Effect of Self and Society on the Formation of Holistic Identity of Language Teacher in Iran: A Grounded Theory Study

The survival and success of any learning system depends on the knowledge, expertise, ability and skill of teachers as the core of education. Regarding the important role of teachers in the process of language learning, the present study aimed to investigate the underlying factors conducive to the formation of the Holistic Identity of the Language Teachers (HILT).

The collected data for the present study were analyzed qualitatively, by adopting grounded theory approach (Strauss & Corbin, 2008) and collected through semi-structured interviews with 41 teachers, with teaching experiences varying from 8 to 18 years, working in schools, universities and institutions in Urmia, Iran. The collected data elicited from the interviews including three main questions of the characteristics of a language teacher identity, the causes of teacher identity, and the role of self and society in the formation of the HILT. Then the data were analyzed through open, selective, and axial coding stages observing a Constant Comparative Method.

The present study attempted to inquire and signify the role of self and society as the grounding factors of HILT. Introducing the Teacherality as the core category of HILT, grounding factors are the causes of HILT, naming Persona Grata and Public Persona, representing Self and Society as the major concepts respectively. Accordingly, the category coded as “Persona Grata”, referred to the Self of the teacher, including intra-personal and individualized qualifications required, namely: Language Commanding, Corporeal State, Perceptual Prompt and Sense Agility. The other factor, Public Persona, consists of socially acquired characteristics of being a language teacher, including Teacher Prestige, Public Life, and Media Person.

The core of this theory revolves around the concept of self, stating that the various features and factors of a person and the different interactions taking place in different circumstances would have a direct relationship with personal, social, and professional characteristics of the Self. Furthermore, the theoretical framework of the concept of HILT has been extracted from the interview data, through which the identity has been analyzed in the sense of the comprehensive nature of the language teacher in Iran. The findings indicate that the foundation of holistic identity formation stems from the dynamic nature of self, interacting in the society as contextual category encompassing all social, corporeal, economic, and professional aspects of a language teacher’s holistic identity.