NEGOTIATING PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY: ENGLISH TEACHERS' PRACTICES IN INDONESIAN ISLAMIC BOARDING SCHOOLS

Abstract

Teacher professional identity plays a crucial role in shaping instructional practices and students' learning experiences. However, limited research has examined how English teachers construct their professional identity within the unique context of Indonesian Islamic boarding schools. This study investigated the professional identity construction of English teachers by exploring its formation, influencing factors, negotiation with Islamic values, and enactment in classroom practice. Employing a qualitative multiple case study, data were collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, document analysis, and students' achievement records. The findings reveal that teachers construct their professional identity as both language educators and moral mentors, shaped by personal beliefs, institutional culture, and Islamic values. They actively negotiate English language teaching with religious principles by adapting instructional materials and classroom practices while maintaining communicative learning objectives. The study concludes that teachers' professional identity is dynamic, context-dependent, and fundamental to culturally responsive English language teaching in Islamic boarding schools.