The identity construction of the Head of the English Department: Negotiation and social presentation in the interaction

Abstract

This study investigates the identity construction of the Head of the English Department (HED), with focus on evaluation. The concept of identity is based on socio-constructionist and sociological theories, which conceive identity construction as a process developed in discourse during the interaction. For the analysis of the interactions, the notions of frame, knowledge schemas and face are considered. Evaluation is based on Labovian and on socio-constructionist perspectives of narrative. Results of the research, whose data was generated at a private school in Rio de Janeiro, suggest that the HED identities are constituted by teachers’ identities, institutional identities and power relations.Keywords: Head of the English Department, identity, evaluation, interaction, narrative.