Authenticity is the experience of acting (or not acting) in ways that appear as ‘true to oneself’. In a professional development project, English teachers in Sweden explored authenticity experiences in teaching practice, and associated emotions. For the teachers, findings provided empowering insights. For research, they highlight need for continued investigation.
Background For language teachers, self-reflection involves the questions ‘who am I’ and ‘how am I’ as someone teaching an L2. The ‘who’ question involves identity. The ‘how’ question involves authenticity, the experience of acting (or not acting) in ways experienced as being ‘true to oneself’. While the ‘who’ question has been extensively studied, far fewer studies have engaged with the ‘how’ question. This paper reports on a professional development project where a group of secondary English teachers in Sweden (the second author and her colleagues) explored authenticity experiences in their teaching practice. Method To study authenticity experiences in these teachers’ practice, a teacher research approach (Borg, 2013) was used. Teacher research emphasizes the generation of knowledge through teacher–researcher collaboration. It seeks to provide beneficial experiences for teachers involved in research collaborations, and offers “an eminently practical way of being a professional” (Borg, 2013, p.217). First, group discussions focusing on self-authenticity took place. These were led by both authors. Then, over a five-week period, the teachers recorded experiences of authenticity/inauthenticity and emotions associated with these experiences using an electronic log. Thereafter interviews were carried out. Results Engaging with the data, a content analytical approach was used (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Three types of authenticity experience were identified: authenticity/inauthenticity in relationships, authenticity/inauthenticity in creating learning opportunities, and authenticity/inauthenticity in challenging situations. Emotions connected with authenticity included satisfaction, acceptance and connectedness. Emotions associated with inauthenticity included frustration, helplessness and disillusionment. For these teachers, understandings of how self-authenticity could promote well-being, and how inauthenticity could undermine resilience provided empowering insights. For research, they highlight the importance of continued investigation. References Borg, S. (2013). Teacher research in language teaching: A critical analysis. Cambridge: CUP. Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology 3, 77-101.
