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6 Content Area Knowledge
Becoming EFL teachers means pre-service teachers have to learn some theories that lead them to understand the material of the subject and to be able to
teach the subject. In relation to this, Beijaard et al., 2000 argue that the content knowledge of teachers plays a significant role in determining teacher effectiveness.
According to Coe et al. 2014, the most effective teachers should have deep knowledge of the subjects they teach. Furthermore, they also argue if teacher
’s knowledge falls below a certain level, it will be a significant obstacle of
students’ learning. Furthermore, teachers should not only have strong understanding of the
material being taught, but teachers must also understand the ways students think about the content, be able to identify
students’ common misconceptions. Further, Rohandi et al. 2013 emphasize that as a teacher, pre-service teachers need to give
correct example to the students and correct their mistakes. Hence, Beijaard et al. 2000
state that teacher’s content knowledge affects the pre-service teachers’ identity transformation.
7 Relationship with Students
Teacher’s relationship with students becomes an important thing during the teaching learning process. In accordance to this, the teachers as well as pre-service
teachers who have close, positive and supportive relationship with their students will be able to understand their students more and lead them to achieve higher levels
of achievement. In the same line, Beijaard et al. 2000 state that when the pre- service teachers develop productive relationship with their students, they know
them more and take particular interest of their learning progress. Furthermore,
22 Beijaard et al. 2000 state that this relationship also affects the techniques that the
pre-service teachers use in order to help their students achieve their personal best. Moreover, McCombs, Daniels and Perry 2008 argue that teachers who
show sensitivity to students ’ differences, include students in the decision-making,
and acknowledge students development give greater motivation to their students. Besides, teachers who convey emotional warmth and acceptance, as well as make
themselves available regularly for personal communication with students foster the positive relationship with the students Hamre Pianta, 2006. Hence, the
relationship between pre-service teachers and students also leads them to transform their identity as it affects their teaching practice.
3. Pre-service Teachers’ Professional Identity Development
Most qualified teachers begin their teacher education programs with various images of teaching and themselves as teachers. According to Flores 2001
“these initial images largely developed during their schooling experiences, which
influence the pre-service teachers in determining their attitudes towards teaching, their understanding of teaching, their professional belief and their classroom
practices ” as cited in Chong, Long, Goh, 2011, p. 50. In this case, these initial
images also affect their development of professional identity. In relation to this, professional identity development refers to how pre-service teachers describe
themselves as teachers based on their interpretation of their teaching experience Kelchtermans, 2009.
Furthermore, pre-service teachers start to construct their professional
23 identity when they are in pre-service teachers stage rather than the teachers stage.
Beltman et al. 2015, in their study, show that pre-service teaching program are able to provide supports and opportunities for pre-service teachers in creating strong
professional identity as future teachers. Specifically, it is because they encounter problems, demands, and various practices in their placements at school. In
accordance to this, Beijaard, Verloop, Vermunt 2000 also argue that this identity development process happens during the process of integrating personal
knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and values on professional demands of teaching standard from teacher program and schools.
While the pre-service teachers are doing learning process to prepare them as future teachers, however, pre-service teachers are always in a state of becoming
Danielewicz, 2001. Becoming a teacher means transforming an identity, adapting personal understandings, and deciding how to express themselves in classroom
activity Rodgers Scott, 2008. Hence, from this perspective, it can be concluded that EFL pre-service teachers need time to practice the knowledge or the theory
they already got. Moreover, the time to practice helps them construct and develop their professional identity as English teachers.
In conclusion, identity is an ongoing process. During the process of becoming a teacher, the pre-service teacher may construct new identity or transform
her or his identity, adapt personal understandings to realities, and decide how to express herself or himself in classroom activity. Specifically, the identity
transformation refers to a language expert, a learning facilitator, and a spiritual guide. Furthermore, there are also some factors which contribute to the pre-service
24 teachers’ identity transformation. These factors are mentoring and supervising
teachers, identity recognition, tensions, past experience, content area knowledge, pedadagogy, and relationship with students. In addition, the identity transformation
becomes the process which pre- service teachers’ develop their professional
identity.
C. Theoretical Framework
The researcher employs the definition of identity stated by Beijaard 1995, who defines identity as
“who or what someone is, the various meanings people can attach to themselves, or the meanings attributed by others. In addition, reshaping
identity involves an ongoing process ” as cited in Nykvist Mukherjee, 2016, p.
2. In this case, reshaping identity is a continuous process of incorporating oneself with his or her profession. Furthermore, during the process of becoming a teacher,
the pre-service teacher may construct a new identity, transform an identity, or adapt their personal understandings and ideals to institutional realities, and decide how to
express herself or himself in classroom activity Rodgers Scott, 2008. In order to answer the first research question, the researcher studies pre-
service teach ers’ identity transformation by analyzing what pre-service teachers
believe about who a teacher is based on Gee ’s framework 2000 and what a teacher
should do based on Beijaard, Verloop, and Vermunt’s framework 2000.
Furthermore, the researcher employs pre-service teachers ’ imagined identity theory
which proposed by Xu 2013 as the main theory to analyze pre-service teachers ’
identity transformation, which refers to three categories, namely 1 language
25 expert, 2 learning facilitator, and 3 spiritual guide.
In order to answer the second research question, namely, what factors contribute to pre-
service teachers’ identity transformation are, the researcher employs factors of pre-
service teachers’ identity transformation theory which proposed by Lerseth 2013,
and Beijaard, Verloop, and Vermunt 2000. Specifically, Gee 2000 states that the factors affect the pre-
service teachers’ belief in who a teacher is. Besides, Beijaard, Verloop, and Vermunt 2000 state that the
factors influence pre- service teachers’ belief about what a teacher does. Besides,
the researcher also employs factors of pre- service teachers’ identity transformation
which is proposed by Lerseth 2013 as pre-service teachers also deal with some people who observe them. Hence, there are seven factors which contribute to the
pre- service teachers’ identity transformation. These factors are 1 previous
teaching experience, 2 content area knowledge, 3 pedagogy, 4 relationship with students 5 identity recognition, 6 tension, and 7 supervising and
mentoring teachers.
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CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter presents the methodology used in conducting the research. This chapter consists of five parts namely research method, research setting, research
participants, instruments and data gathering technique, and data analysis technique.
A. Research Method
The researcher conducted this research to analyze identity transformation phenomenon which occurs in pre-service teachers after finishing their teaching
practice program by implementing a qualitative approach. According to Ary, Jacob, Sorensen and Razavieh 2010, qualitative research seeks to understand a
phenomenon by focusing on the total picture rather than breaking it down into variables. Furthermore, qualitative research also aims to describe
“the complex pattern of what is being studied in suffecient depth and detail, so that someone who
does not experience can understand the phenomenon ” Ary et al., 2010, p. 29.
Hence, the researcher employed the qualitative research to understand and interpret the pre-
service teachers’ phenomena of identity transformation after finishing teaching practice program.
Specifically, this research belongs to a basic interpretative study. Ary et al. 2010 state that the central purpose of the basic interpretative study is to understand
the world or the experience of another. This study attempted to understand the phenomenon of pre-
service teachers’ identity transformation and the factors that
