This study investigates the role EFL teachers attribute to their linguistic and cultural repertoire during induction. Thirty novice bilingual and multilingual teachers in Israeli schools were interviewed. Qualitative analyses reveal themes related to teachers’ plurilingual and cultural background as interwoven with cognitive, practical and personal dimensions of their professional role and identity construction.
The first year of teaching, often referred to as the induction period, is a multifaceted stage of teacher learning 'on the job'. Recent research suggests that language teachers' professional learning is contextually bound (Johnson, 2009) and can be fully understood when their linguistic repertoires and cultural identities are taken into account (Taylor & Snoddon, 2013). Furthermore, the status of English as an international language is known to impact English teachers' identity formation and practices (Faez, 2011), hence influencing the professional learning process during the induction period. This study investigates the role EFL (English as a foreign language) teachers attribute to their linguistic and cultural repertoire in the professional learning process during induction. The study draws on the understanding that teacher learning occurs at the interplay between teachers' language and cultural background and experiences within the sociocultural context of their workplace. Thirty novice bilingual and multilingual EFL teachers teaching in Hebrew and Arabic speaking schools were interviewed to obtain information about their sociocultural and plurilingual background, learning processes and practices. Teachers' instructional materials were used for data triangulation. Inductive content analysis surfaces predominant themes related to teachers' plurilingual and cultural background as interwoven with cognitive, practical and personal dimensions of their professional role and identity construction. Teachers' learning processes and practices have been found to be linked to teachers' perceived sense of linguistic hierarchy, whereby English is granted a primary role, and other languages at the teachers' disposal, a secondary role, yet a fundamental one, contributing to the agency exercised in teachers' practices. Given their multiple language learning experiences, multilingual teachers exhibit stances towards teaching reflective of more 'experienced' than 'novice' teachers, particularly broader representations of language acquisition issues. The findings call for the recognition of EFL teachers' plurilingual multicompetencies in their practices. Implications for teacher education programs will be discussed.
