Interaction of Beliefs and Emotions in Shaping Teacher Identity: A Narrative Enquiry of a University Lecturer’s Lived Experiences

The present study deals with the role and interaction of a university teacher’s beliefs and emotions in development and formation of his identity. To this end, following the qualitative approach and using narrative research based on biography, the research data were collected through oral interviews within four sessions. To analyze the data, according to the principles of narrative enquiry, the collected stories were retold and restoried on the basis of time, place, and interactions until dispersed stories were made into a coherent and chronological narrative in a socially meaningful context. The final narrative shows the trajectory of the teacher’s beliefs and emotions development since childhood through his work as a faculty member. More importantly, the interactions between beliefs, emotions and identity are revealed. Analysis of the narrative indicates that cultural and social atmosphere of the family alongside his teachers’ performances were the major sources of his beliefs about teaching. Moreover, it was demonstrated that positive and negative emotions that he has experienced as a teacher, effectively consolidated or modified his beliefs. Teacher identity, as a dynamic and changing concept, is similarly affected and changed by interactions of beliefs and emotions.