PHONOLOGY IN TEACHER EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY: INTERPRETING EXPERIENCES, MINING MEANING

Abstract

The article reports on hermeneutic-phenomenological research on the contribution of Phonology and of a reflective stance towards teachers´ professional identity. It describes and interprets language teachers´ representations of the ideal pronunciation, of the ideal speaker of English, and how such representations influence teachers´ identity and practice. The investigation is supported by views on the study of Phonology from the perspective of English as an international language and the native/non-native paradigm; concepts of social representations and identity issues. The study was conducted with 28 teachers of English attending a Phonology module, in a continuing education program. Interpretation of data suggests that gaps in teachers´ phonological education tend to reinforce the native-speaker paradigm, affecting teachers´ professional identity and practice. It also suggests a need to re-orient the study of Phonology on a critical, reflective basis considering affective and socio-linguistic issues of identity.