Professional identity development process of mid-career EFL teachers

Hoa Thi Yen Nguyen; Long Dinh Thanh Tran; Scott D. McKnight

doi:10.65956/late.2026.40

Authors

Hoa Thi Yen Nguyen Corresponding author email: yenhoant@hcmute.edu.vn RMIT University https://orcid.org/0009-0006-1540-3162
Long Dinh Thanh Tran Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Engineering https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3213-4795
Scott D. McKnight https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3943-5466

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.65956/late.2026.40

Keywords:

professional identity, teacher identity, mid-career teachers

Abstract

Professional identity development is a slow and complex process of self-negotiation and renegotiation, with the initial stages often more unstable and less predictable than later stages. This study explores how EFL teachers’ professional identity shifts from the early-career to the mid-career stage and identifies the factors that contribute to this process. Drawing on a synthesised conceptual framework of five subcomponents, namely roles and values, job motivation, satisfaction, commitment, and self-efficacy, together with an analytical framework of six influential career stages, the study employs a qualitative life-history approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with four mid-career EFL tertiary teachers in Vietnam with different academic backgrounds and career trajectories. The findings reveal that teacher identity development is an ongoing process that unfolds in both positive and negative directions, shaped by lived experience and intentional reflection. Changes in individual subcomponents were also found to influence overall professional identity. The study contributes a synthesised conceptual framework for teacher identity research. Practically, early-career teachers are encouraged to embrace reflective practice and allow time for identity formation; mid-career teachers are advised to sustain reflective work and invest in self-efficacy; and institutional managers may use these insights to design more responsive professional development programmes.

Author Biographies

Hoa Thi Yen Nguyen, RMIT University

Hoa T. Y. Nguyen is a PhD candidate in Education at RMIT University. She holds an MA in TESOL and a BA in English. Her research interests focus on teacher identity and professional development. She has over ten years of teaching experience at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education
Long Dinh Thanh Tran, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Engineering

Long Dinh Thanh Tran holds a Master's degree in Research Studies from the University of Tampere (Finland) and Danube University Krems (Austria). He is an EFL lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Engineering, Vietnam. His research focuses on professional identity and practice construction among second career EFL teachers.
Scott D. McKnight

Scott D. McKnight holds a PhD in Statistics from Western Michigan University, USA. His career in patient safety research at the US Veterans Administration was followed a five-year retirement in Asia, where he deepened his engagement with contemplative philosophical traditions.

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