Teacher Metacognitions About Identities: Case Studies of Four Expert Language Teachers in China

Despite a surge of research interest in teacher identity in both TESOL and general education, there is a lack of attention to the role of metacognition in language teachers’ identity (re)construction. Informed by the integrated framework of metacognitions comprising metacognitive knowledge, strategies, and experiences, this article reports on four expert language teachers’ metacognitions about identities and how such metacognitions influenced their identity work in China. The findings demonstrate four major types of metacognitive experiences: (1) ascertaining, prioritizing, and claiming existing identities; (2) imagining, planning, and constructing new identities; (3) crafting a fluid and interconnected identity web; and (4) engaging in distributed identity construction. While engaging in such metacognitive experiences, the participants also drew on various forms of metacognitive knowledge (e.g., their knowledge about strategies, tasks, and themselves) and strategies (e.g., asking metacognitive questions, making explicit identity claims) in their identity (re)construction. The study adds to the current teacher identity literature by highlighting the critical role of metacognitions in guiding language teachers to manage, regulate, and distribute their identities. Practical implications for language teaching and teacher education are provided.