From the past to the future : self-concepts of English language teachers from Finland and Korea

2015

This article explores 1) how two English language teachers from Finland and Korea develop their self-concept as English learners throughout their English learning trajectory, and 2) the positive motivational effects of self-reflective experiences upon the research participants. To obtain more holistic research findings, a combination of verbal in-depth interviews with visual artworks depicting English learning timeline and self-portraits were used. The data were subjected to a thematic analysis, the results of which appear to indicate that the interviewees’ self-concept as an English learner is dynamically influenced by fluctuations in their learning trajectory, and that it will continue to…