A Multiple-Case Study of English Language Teacher Identity in Vietnamese Higher Education

Authors

  • Thi Hien Mai

    Faculty of Foreign Languages, Electric Power University, Hanoi 11900, Vietnam

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i9.10773
Received: 27 June 2025 | Revised: 18 July 2025 | Accepted: 31 July 2025 | Published Online: 18 September 2025

Abstract

This research examines the ways in which English lecturers in Vietnamese higher education negotiate their professional identities within the context of personal agency, institutional frameworks, and sociocultural expectations. Using a qualitative multiple-case approach, the study explored the identity narratives of three university lecturers at various stages of their careers, employing semi-structured interviews with thematic analysis. Three significantly different identity orientations emerged in the analyses: values-driven mentor, reflective practitioner, and strategic conformity. The results show that individual identities develop through internal factors such as intrinsic motivation, pedagogical orientation, and emotional labor, and external factors that include top-down policy mandates, native-speaker ideologies, structural hierarchy, and symbolic capital connected to qualifications, internationalization, or institutional visibility. While some lecturers enact agency by way of pedagogical care, or adaptive autonomy and quiet resistance to institutional norms and policies, others act within structural constraints to meet management expectations or to gain some legitimacy through institutional hegemony. The study offers new insight into how institutional identities can construct or constrict a teacher's pedagogical and identity development, suggesting a more responsive model for professional development that acknowledges and embraces teacher voice, legitimate recognition and esteem, and reflective practice across all cumulative professional pathways. By situating local identity narratives within broader theoretical frameworks—including agency theory, the study contributes a localized, nuanced understanding of language teacher identity in non-Western higher education. It extends existing frameworks by identifying a third identity category beyond the conventional "transformative" vs. "managerial" binary: the strategic conformist—lecturers who craft identity through alignment with institutional optics rather than pedagogical substance.

Keywords:

Teacher Identity; English Lecturers; Qualitative Research; Teacher Agency; Professional Development; Case Study; Thematic Analysis

References

[1] Alturki, B.M., Alharbi, M.A., 2024. Saudi female English teachers' professional identity construction: A qualitative study of the internal and external factors. Forum for Linguistic Studies. 6(3), 509–528. DOI: https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v6i3.6529

[2] Yao, D., Ali, M.M.A., Ali, Z., 2025. A study on the influence of Chinese university English teachers' emotions on their professional identity. Forum for Linguistic Studies. 7(4), 1055–1072. DOI: https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i4.9053

[3] Hamid, M.O., Nguyen, H.T.M., 2016. Globalization, English language policy, and teacher agency: Focus on Asia. International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives. 15(1), 26–43.

[4] Hu, H., Mi, A., Chen, H., et al., 2025. Bridging growth: Exploring the professional development needs of pre-service and in-service TESOL teachers during placements. Forum for Linguistic Studies. 7(3), 635–642. DOI: https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i3.8790

[5] Beijaard, D., Koopman, M., Schellings, G., 2023. Reframing teacher professional identity and learning. In: The Palgrave Handbook of Teacher Education Research. Springer: Cham, Switzerland. pp. 763–785.

[6] Vanderlinde, R., Smith, K., Murray, J., et al., 2021. Teacher Educators and Their Professional Development. Routledge: London, UK.

[7] Garner, J.K., Kaplan, A., 2018. A complex dynamic systems perspective on teacher learning and identity formation: an instrumental case. Teachers and Teaching. 25(1), 7–33. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2018.1533811

[8] Beijaard, D., Meijer, P.C., 2017. Developing the personal and professional in making a teacher identity. In: The SAGE Handbook of Research on Teacher Education. Sage: London, UK. pp. 177–192.

[9] Graham, A., Phelps, R., 2003. Being a teacher: Developing teacher identity and enhancing practice through metacognitive and reflective learning processes. Australian Journal of Teacher Education. 27(2), 11–24.

[10] Yazan, B., 2022. Reflective practice as identity work: A teacher educator's reflections on identity tensions. In: Farrell, T.S.C. (ed.). Teacher Reflection: Policies, Practices and Impacts. Routledge: London, UK. pp. 164–178.

[11] Yona, L., 2022. Identity at work. Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law. 43, 139.

[12] Waelen, R.A., 2023. The struggle for recognition in the age of facial recognition technology. AI and Ethics. 3(1), 215–222.

[13] Evison, J., Bailey, L., Taylor, P., et al., 2019. Professional identities of lecturers in three international universities in Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia: multilingual professionals at work. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education. 51(2), 202–220. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2019.1608814

[14] Rushton, E.A., Rawlings Smith, E., Steadman, S., et al., 2023. Understanding teacher identity in teachers' professional lives: A systematic review of the literature. Review of Education. 11(2), e3417.

[15] Lap, T.Q., Ngoc, T.D., Thao, L.T., 2022. Novice teachers' professional identity reconstruction. International Journal of Educational Methodology. 8(3), 449–464.

[16] van den Berg, A., Amasyalı, E., 2025. What do we need “agency” for? A critical analysis of reasons for the use of “agency” in sociology. Current Perspectives in Social Theory. 41, 15–41.

[17] Fernández, P.P., Sánchez, E.V., Escoriaza, J.C., 2024. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in pre-service secondary education teachers in Spain. European Journal of Teacher Education. 1–21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2024.2301974

[18] Ngo, N.H.H., Trinh, L.Q., 2025. Constructing research identity among Vietnamese EFL lecturers: A phenomenological study. Educational Process: International Journal. 14, e2025060. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22521/edupij.2025.14.60

[19] McKinney, C., Norton, B., 2024. Identity, language, and learning. In: Hyland, K., Paltridge, B. (eds.). The Routledge Companion to English Studies. Routledge: London, UK. pp. 225–237.

[20] Holliday, A., 2005. The Struggle to Teach English as an International Language. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK.

[21] Nazari, M., 2024. Ecological intersections of religious ideology, agency, and identity: Voices of Iranian English language teachers. TESL-EJ. 28(1), n1.

[22] Sögüt, S., 2024. Disrupted English language teacher identities: A social justice perspective. TESL-EJ. 28(1), n1.

[23] Ngo, N.T.D., 2025. Current practices and future directions in Sustainable Development Goal 4 through intercultural competence in general English program curricula. International Journal of Research. 14(2), 111–122.

[24] Klimas, A., 2023. Teacher identity (re)construction in the process of EFL teacher education. In: Contemporary Issues in Foreign Language Education: Festschrift in Honour of Anna Michońska-Stadnik. Springer: Cham, Switzerland. pp. 51–66.

[25] Yazan, B., 2023. A conceptual framework to understand language teacher identities. Second Language Teacher Education. 1(2), 185–208.

[26] Yang, S., Shu, D., Yin, H., 2022. “Teaching, my passion; publishing, my pain”: Unpacking academics' professional identity tensions through the lens of emotional resilience. Higher Education. 84(2), 235–254.

[27] Ross, P.M., Scanes, E., Locke, W., 2024. Stress adaptation and resilience of academics in higher education. Asia Pacific Education Review. 25(4), 829–849.

[28] Chávez, J., Fauré, J., Barril Madrid, J., 2023. The role of agency in the construction and development of professional identity. Learning: Research and Practice. 9(1), 93–108.

[29] Laivuori, M., Pyhältö, K., Tikkanen, L., 2022. Teacher Professional Agency in Curriculum Reform [Master Thesis]. University of Helsinki: Helsinki, Finland.

[30] Tran, H., Li, M., 2025. Influential sociocultural factors on teacher agency in times of educational change: Reflection from a Southeast Asian context. International Journal of Applied Linguistics. 35(1), 308–324.

[31] Kang, J., Viljaranta, J., George, S., et al., 2024. Relationship between science teachers' teaching motivations and career development aspirations. European Journal of Teacher Education. 1–18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2024.2311698

[32] Vitanova, G., 2024. “It's just a feeling!”: Emotions and intersectionality in language teacher narratives. TESOL Quarterly. 58(4), 1493–1517.

[33] Cheng, L., 2021. The implications of EFL/ESL teachers' emotions in their professional identity development. Frontiers in Psychology. 12, 755592.

[34] Taşdemir, H., 2021. A Narrative Inquiry into Early Career English Language Teacher Identities [PhD Thesis]. Middle East Technical University: Ankara, Turkey.

[35] Li, X., 2023. A theoretical review on the interplay among EFL teachers' professional identity, agency, and positioning. Heliyon. 9(4), e15510.

[36] Feng, M., Kim, H.K., 2023. The role of teacher knowledge and practice in shaping EFL teachers' glocal identity. Language Teaching Research. Advance online publication. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688231170441

[37] Merriam, S.B., 2009. Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, CA, USA.

[38] Patton, M.Q., 2002. Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods, 3rd ed. Sage: Thousand Oaks, USA.

[39] Toft, B.S., Lindberg, E., Hörberg, U., 2021. Engaging in a research interview: Lifeworld-based learning through dialogue. Reflective Practice. 22(5), 669–681.

[40] Wu, X., 2022. A longitudinal study of EFL teacher agency and sustainable identity development: A positioning theory perspective. Sustainability. 15(1), 48.

[41] Charmaz, K., Thornberg, R., 2021. The pursuit of quality in grounded theory. Qualitative Research in Psychology. 18(3), 305–327.

[42] Braun, V., Clarke, V., 2021. To saturate or not to saturate? Questioning data saturation as a useful concept for thematic analysis and sample-size rationales. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health. 13(2), 201–216.

[43] Mpofu, F.Y., 2025. The saturation dilemma reconsidered: Role, challenges and controversies for qualitative research in the digital era. International Journal of Qualitative Methods. 24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069251348542

[44] Braun, V., Clarke, V., 2006. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology. 3(2), 77–101.

[45] Denzin, N.K., 2018. The qualitative manifesto: a call to arms. Routledge: New York, NY, USA.

[46] Priestley, M., Biesta, G., Robinson, S., 2015. Teacher Agency: An Ecological Approach. Bloomsbury: London, UK.

[47] Rahman, F., Asirah, A., Saputra, N., et al., 2025. Language, power and identity: Deciphering language hegemony through Bourdieu's symbolic power. LITERATUR: Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra. 7(1), 85–111.

[48] Smith, D., Weller, J., Starks, D., et al., 2021. Where are they from? Pre-service educators' views on place and professional identity. Asia Pacific Journal of Education. 41(1), 152–166.

[49] Hökkä, P., Vähäsantanen, K., Ikävalko, H., 2023. An integrative approach to emotional agency at work. Vocations and Learning. 16(1), 23–46.

[50] Le, T.T., Phuong, H.Y., Pham, T.T., et al., 2024. Exploring the cultural portrayal of Vietnamese teachers: An analytical study of professional identity in Vietnamese teaching-themed songs. F1000Research. 13, 631.

[51] Le, T.T., Phuong, H.Y., 2025. Navigating trust and mistrust: A qualitative examination of leadership dynamics in Vietnamese EFL education. Journal of Educational Administration and History. 1–21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00220620.2025.2467738

[52] Liu, C., 2024. Exploring the Identities of Chinese Foreign Language Teachers in the US Higher Education Context [PhD Thesis]. University of Kansas: Lawrence, Kansas.

[53] Banderlipe, M.I., 2024. Activist teachers in Scotland: A participatory approach to understand the identities, ecosystems and reflections of teachers' work. In Proceedings of the British Educational Research Association (BERA) Conference 2024 and World Educational Research Association (WERA) Focal Meeting, Manchester, UK, September 2024.

[54] Richards, J.C., 2023. Teacher, learner and student-teacher identity in TESOL. RELC Journal. 54(1), 252–266.

[55] Clarke, M., 2023. The subordination of teacher identity: Ethical risks and potential lines of flight. Teachers and Teaching. 29(3), 241–258.

[56] Deniz, Ü., 2022. What should we understand from teachers' professional identity? An overview of the literature. Journal of Innovative Research in Teacher Education. 3(2), 113–127.

[57] Pham, D.H., 2021. The professional development of academic staff in higher education institution. Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability. 23(1), 115–131.

[58] Lin, M., Zhao, W., 2023. Untangling the making and governing of Hong Kong teachers through neoliberal, Confucian, and affective technologies: with and beyond Foucault. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education. 51(2), 147–161.

[59] Gracia, E.P., Rodríguez, R.S., Pedrajas, A.P., 2022. Teachers' professional identity construction: a review of the literature. Profesorado, Revista de Currículum y Formación del Profesorado. 26(1), 371–393.

[60] Sang, Y., 2023. Seeing teacher identity through teachers' beliefs: Narratives of pre-service EFL teachers in China. Language Teaching Research. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688231165349

[61] Beijaard, D., Meijer, P.C., Verloop, N., 2004. Reconsidering research on teachers' professional identity. Teaching and Teacher Education. 20(2), 107–128.

[62] Day, M.G., 2023. Teacher Agency in the ESOL Classroom: The Intersection of Policy and Practice [PhD Thesis]. York St John University: York, UK.

Downloads

How to Cite

Mai, T. H. (2025). A Multiple-Case Study of English Language Teacher Identity in Vietnamese Higher Education. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(9), 1129–1141. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i9.10773

Issue

Vol. 7 , Iss. 9 (September 2025)

Article Type

Article

License

Copyright © 2025 Thị Hiền Mai

Creative Commons License

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.