Abstract :
The professional self-concept of language teachers, especially in the setting of higher education, is largely unexplored. Caspari (2003) demonstrated how the relationship between individual occupational approaches and personal awareness of theoretical competences affected the professional self-conception of foreign language teachers at grammar and secondary schools.The situation of teaching foreign languages for refugees in higher education (HE) differs from the above-mentioned teachers in terms of the students' personal motivation for learning a foreign language, as well as in the students' ages and the age structure within the courses. The situation also differs in regards to approaches to learning or teaching depending on the students' cultures of origin, their educational backgrounds, their field of study, their[quotrightB?]‹[quotrightB?]‹ knowledge of previous (foreign) languages, their foreign language learning experiences, and their cross-cultural experiences in general. Research about refugees and their coping strategies is widely conducted with multiple foci.However, this multifaceted situation also has an impact on foreign language teachers in higher education and confronts them with particular challenges. Their professional self-concept influences their coping abilities and vice versa.I give a brief overview of the area of conflict in which HE foreign language teachers fulfill their tasks and explain my exploratory research that examines their professional self-concept. I consider what separates the term "self-concept" from similar concepts (e.g. self-image, self-image, self) and introduce preliminary results. My initial work shows that teachers are highly aware of their professional and social responsibilities. Furthermore, many of them feel unprepared for the diverse roles they are expected to undertake regarding refugee language education, and have very precise ideas for professional training.Caspari, Daniela (2003) Fremdsprachenlehrerinnen und Fremdsprachenlehrer. Studien zu ihrem beruflichen Selbstverständnis. Günter Narr Verlag: Tübingen.
