Reconstructing the professional identity of rural pre-service teachers via an English pedagogy course: A case study

Teacher Professional Identity is critical for rural teacher recruitment and retention, but effective pathways for its construction remain limited. This study examines whether and how a holistically designed English pedagogy course, integrating theoretical learning and micro-teaching practices with guided reflective discourses, shapes the professional identities of rural pre-service teachers. A longitudinal study spanning one academic year was conducted with three rural pre-service teachers enrolled in the Excellent Teacher Program at a normal university in western China. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and reflective journals. Drawing on Varghese et al.'s identity-in-practice and identity-in-discourse as a conceptual lens, and Wenger's three modes of belonging as explanatory tools, our dual-layered framework reveals two key transformations. First, the course significantly transformed participants' initially underdeveloped Teacher Professional Identity (self-doubt, narrow grammar and vocabulary focus) into a broader, more confident and committed identity. Two patterns of change were identified: broadening of pedagogical vision from discrete skills to holistic design, and affective repositioning from fear and doubt to confidence and clarity. Second, the course functioned as a discourse-rich community of practice wherein three mechanisms operated to facilitate identity (re)formation: engagement through micro-teaching and peer collaboration, imagination through exposure to contemporary theories, and alignment through guided reflections linking practice to professional standards. The study demonstrates that a campus-based, holistically designed pedagogy course can serve as an effective pathway for the professional identity construction of rural pre-service teachers, particularly in contexts where quality field placements are not feasible. It also highlights the need to integrate such on-campus training with authentic rural experiences (e.g., short-term placements) to translate identity gains into sustained commitment to rural teaching. These findings offer insights for teacher education policy and practice, with implications for addressing global challenges in rural teacher retention.