Speaker
Description
Identity research on women in Japanese ELT shows how identity shapes career trajectories (Nagatomo, 2016; Haye-Matsui, 2021). However, less attention has been paid to how competencies develop through sustained community membership, including labour unions. Using a communities of practice lens (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998) and reflective narrative inquiry (Barkhuizen, Benson, & Chik, 2025; Benson, 2014), I trace my development from eikaiwas to universities. Participants will leave feeling prepared for planning their career trajectories.
Short summary
Identity research on women in Japanese ELT shows how identity shapes career trajectories (Nagatomo, 2016; Haye-Matsui, 2021). However, less attention has been paid to how competencies develop through sustained community membership, including labour unions. Using a communities of practice lens (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998) and reflective narrative inquiry (Barkhuizen, Benson, & Chik, 2025; Benson, 2014), I trace my development from eikaiwas to universities. Participants will leave feeling prepared for planning their career trajectories.
References
Barkhuizen, G., Benson, P., & Chik, A. (Eds.) (2013). Narrative inquiry in language teaching and learning research. Routledge.
Benson, P. (2014). Narrative inquiry in applied linguistics research. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 34, 154–170.
Haye-Matsui, A. (2025). Being a Black Woman in Japan: The intersectionality of race, gender, and nationality. In M. Lan, & M. Debnár (Eds.). Migration, Transnational Flows, and the Contested Meanings of Race in Asia (pp. 143–164). Springer.
Monture, P. A. (2007). Racing and erasing: Law and gender in white settler societies. In S. P. Hier & B. S. Bolaria, (Eds.), Race and racism in 21st century Canada: Continuity, complexity, and change (pp. 197–212). Broadview.
Nagatomo, D. H. (2016). Identity, gender and teaching English in Japan. Multilingual Matters.
Keywords
professional identity; communities of practice; situated learning; mentoring
Abstract
Professional identity research on women in Japanese ELT has documented how gendered expectations and institutional positioning shape legitimacy and career trajectories (Nagatomo, 2016). Furthermore, more current research (e.g., Haye-Matsui, 2025) has pointed to the need to not use only gender as an identity frame. Less attention has been paid to how both teacher competencies and professional identity are built through membership in communities, not only in professional associations, but also in spaces not typically related to teacher development, such as labour unions. In this presentation, we will be examining community participation as a form of sustained professional learning (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998).
Using reflective narrative inquiry (Barkhuizen, Benson, & Chik, 2025; Benson, 2014), I use the so-called trinity in intersectionality of gender, race, and class (Monture, and I trace how my professional identity developed through participation in collective spaces across private language schools and higher education. I address the question of how community participation has shaped my professional identity and competencies over time?
Analysis of critical incidents suggests three patterns. First, what appears as luck is better understood as sustained engagement, visibility, and relationship-building. Second, union membership can function as a site of situated learning about solidarity, power, and professional values, while also managing boundaries and negotiating trust. Third, professional organizations operate as communities of practice that facilitate mentoring, collaboration, and recognition.
The presentation concludes with a guided reflection activity in which participants map their own memberships to identify enabling conditions and strategies for purposeful participation.
| Scheduling preference | Anytime on Saturday |
|---|---|
| Title | Becoming a teacher through community: Identity, opportunity, and membership |