Co-constructing Intercultural Identity in the Work-Integrated Learning: Pre-service TESOL Teachers’ Professional Development

This chapter focuses on how pre-service novice TESOL teachers developed their intercultural identity while assisting their students of different language and cultural backgrounds in learning ESL and engaging in work-integrated learning in Australia. Based on the theoretical framework of intercultural communication competence, this project used a qualitative method and collected data from ten pre-service novice TESOL teachers who took work placements at English language colleges in Sydney. Data included two types of written documents, including TESOL internship/placement reports each pre-service novice teacher completed and TESOL teacher mentor reports provided by their mentors. Data were coded and analyzed to identify emerging themes. The results showed that the pre-service TESOL teachers constructed their intercultural identity through working collaboratively with their mentors and students, valued online work-integrated learning experience, demonstrated intercultural empathy, and developed their verbal and nonverbal communication skills. The research implications were discussed to inform the current TESOL theories and practices as well as the future research directions.