A Systematic Review on ESL Educators’ Discursive Construction of Professional Identities: Unpacking the Intersecting Factors (2016 – 2026)

Abstract

This systematic literature review (SLR) synthesises global research on the discursive construction of professional identities among English as a Second Language (ESL) educators between 2016 and 2026. Following the PRISMA 2020 protocol, this study rigorously screened 210 records from the Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases, resulting in the selection of 30 peer-reviewed articles for final synthesis. The review addresses three core research questions, mapping contemporary trends, methodological frameworks, and the intersecting contextual factors that shape the professional identities of ESL educators. The findings reveal that professional identity is not a static construct but a dynamic, negotiated process of "identity work" occurring at the intersection of five emerging pillars: Teacher Education & Development, Institutional Power & Constraints, Emotional Labour & Well-being, Linguistic Ideology & Marginalisation, and Digital Pedagogy & Technology. The synthesis indicates that while narrative and phenomenological inquiries remain dominant, there is a clear trend toward micro-discursive and multimodal methodologies. Crucially, the review highlights that ESL educators’ identities are continuously shaped by the tension between institutional accountability and personal agency. However, there remains a critical gap in understanding how intersecting dynamics such as academic hierarchies, linguistic ideologies, and institutional precarity are navigated within the multiculturally unique tertiary institutions of Southeast Asia. Future empirical research must explore how ESL educators in these stratified settings negotiate their complex and competing professional identities and agency discursively.