‘It’s not my intercultural competence, it’s me.’ The intercultural identity of prospective foreign language teachers

Abstract

This article examines the intercultural identity of pre-service foreign language teachers to determine whether they are aware of their intercultural stance and that of others, and whether they portray an identifiable emergent professional persona in relation to interculturality. The ultimate goal of this study is to identify common traits on which to focus future teacher training. The results show that these prospective teachers display an incipient intercultural identity characterised by a tendency to avoid agency and a certain shortage of intercultural knowledge, yet they are notably concerned about their professional image and their responsibility in work environments.

Keywords

• intercultural identity
• intercultural competence
• intercultural awareness
• teacher education
• pre-service teaching