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Navigating the Self:
Examining English Teacher
Researcher Identity Construction
Trajectory and its Relation with the
Enactment of a Critical Decolonial
Stance in ELT Through Collaborative
Autoethnography1.
Navegando el Yo: Examinando la Trayectoria
de Construcción de la Identidad del Docente
de Inglés Investigador y su Relación con la
Representación de una Postura Crítica Decolonial
en ELT a Través de la Autoetnografía Colaborativa.
Jhon Eduardo Mosquera Pérez
Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia, Colombia
Flor Ángela Hurtado Torres
Santo Tomas University, Colombia
Daniel Elias Pérez Diaz2
Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia, Colombia
1 Received: May 30th, 2023 / Accepted: November 30th, 2023
2 jhon58745@hotmail.com, angelaht16@outlook.com, danielelias.perez@uptc.edu.co
G E L R J. ISSN -.
N. (J - J, ). pp. - .
156
No. 26
Abstract:
is collaborative autoethnographic research explores the identity shaping construction
trajectory of a group of three English teacher researchers as well as the repercussions that these
processes had on the enactment of a critical decolonial perception toward the ELT eld. Using a
qualitative approach, the English teachers engaged in this collaborative autoethnography shared
their experiences, beliefs, and inuences to collectively examine how these inuenced their
evolving professional identities and their current critical understanding of the eld. In general,
the study reveals that collaborative autoethnography provides a unique platform for examining
the identity trajectory of individuals and for establishing a connection between the past and
the present. e ndings similarly highlight the interplay between individual experiences,
sociocultural contexts, and pedagogical practices, fostering a deeper understanding of
English teacher researcher identity development. By emphasizing the signicance of collective
exploration, this study advocates for incorporating collaborative autoethnography more actively
as a valuable tool for professional development in English education and research in general,
and in Colombia in particular.
Key words: Autoethnography, collaborative autoethnography, decoloniality, English
teacher identity, English teacher researcher identity
Resumen:
Esta investigación autoetnográca colaborativa explora el proceso de formación identitaria
de un grupo de tres profesores investigadores de inglés, así como las repercusiones que este
proceso tuvo en su percepción crítica decolonial del campo ELT. Usando un enfoque cualitativo,
los profesores de inglés que participaron en esta autoetnografía colaborativa compartieron sus
experiencias, creencias e inuencias, para así examinar colectivamente cómo estas inuyeron
en sus identidades profesionales y en su comprensión crítica actual del campo ELT. En general,
el estudio revela que la autoetnografía colaborativa proporciona una plataforma única para
examinar la trayectoria de identidad de los individuos así como para establecer una conexión
entre el pasado y el presente. De igual manera los hallazgos resaltan la interacción entre las
experiencias individuales, los contextos socioculturales y las prácticas pedagógicas, fomentando
una comprensión más profunda del desarrollo de la identidad del profesor de inglés como
investigador. Al enfatizar la importancia de la exploración colectiva, este estudio aboga por
incorporar más activamente la autoetnografía colaborativa como una herramienta valiosa para
el desarrollo profesional en la educación e investigación en inglés en general, y en Colombia en
particular.
Palabras clave: Autoetnografía, autoetnografía colaborativa, decolonialidad, identidad de
profesores de inglés, identidad de profesores de inglés investigadores
Teacher Researchers’ Identity and Decolonial Stance in ELT:
A Collaborative Autoethnography
157 No. 26
Resumo
Esta pesquisa autoetnográca colaborativa explora o processo de formação da identidade de
um grupo de três professores pesquisadores de inglês, bem como as repercussões que esse
processo teve em sua percepção crítica descolonial do campo ELT. Usando uma abordagem
qualitativa, os professores de inglês que participaram desta autoetnograa colaborativa
compartilharam suas experiências, crenças e inuências, a m de examinar coletivamente como
isso inuenciou suas identidades prossionais e sua atual compreensão crítica do campo ELT.
No geral, o estudo revela que a autoetnograa colaborativa fornece uma plataforma única para
examinar a trajetória de identidade dos indivíduos, bem como estabelecer uma conexão entre
o passado e o presente. Da mesma forma, os achados destacam a interação entre experiências
individuais, contextos socioculturais e práticas pedagógicas, promovendo uma compreensão
mais profunda do desenvolvimento da identidade do professor de inglês como pesquisador. Ao
enfatizar a importância da exploração coletiva, este estudo defende a incorporação mais ativa da
autoetnograa colaborativa como uma ferramenta valiosa para o desenvolvimento prossional
na educação e pesquisa em inglês em geral, e na Colômbia em particular.
Palavras chave: Autoetnograa, autoetnograa colaborativa, decolonialidade, identidade
de professores de inglês, identidade de professores de inglês de pesquisa
Jhon Eduardo Mosquera Pérez, Flor Ángela Hurtado Torres
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Introduction
Stories (hereaer narratives) have always represented a mechanism for
transmitting knowledge from one generation to the other. is fact has
been supported by scholars (Merriam, 2014, Saldaña, 2011) who arm
that narratives do not only resemble a way of meaning making, but also a
tool for understanding human subconsciousness in a better and more profound and
rich way. Interestingly, and due to the narrative turn that took place within academia
some years ago (Goodson & Gill, 2011), narratives have been gaining a growing sense
of recognition in applied linguistics (AL) and in other elds as it is the case of the
teaching of English as a foreign and second language (TEFL/TESL). Because of this, it
is possible to arm that now narratives are widely acknowledged sources that do not
only constitute data collection and analysis processes in the recent qualitative inquiry
dimensions, but are also approaches employed especially in research studies intending
to explore identity construction and reconguration over time and across varied layers.
Bearing the previously mentioned aspects in mind, this study seeks to make a
contribution to the growing body of academic literature regarding English language
teacher identity construction and its intersection with collaborative autoethnography
in Colombia by exploring the ways that a group of three in-service university English
language teacher researchers (who performed as the authors and participants of this
study at the same time) have shaped their identity as teachers researchers. Specically,
the study analyzes their identity shaping trajectory and how their lived experiences
have contributed to construct an identity not only as researchers but also as critical
decolonial scholars that push for urgent changes within ELT. e current study was
carried out having in mind that this and related research initiatives may constitute
a benchmark for future inquiries as despite the relatively growing acceptance of
autoethnography and other approaches derived from this dimension (netnography,
collaborative autoethnography, duoethnography, community autoethnography, critical
autoethnography) along academia, more collaborative autoethnographic projects are
being needed to fully cement autoethnography as a valid and worth implementing
research method in English language teaching research in Colombia.
Equally important, undergoing more collaborative autoethnographic based
research studies will contribute to keep expanding identity theory in Colombia, as
this professional dimension has been mostly studied from the outside. An evidence
of this armation are the multiple studies that have been conducted at a national
level, like those by Guerrero and Meadows (2015), Hernández-Varona & Gutiérrez-
Álvarez (2020); Lander (2018), Macias et al. (2020), Mosquera and Losada
(2022), Ovalle-Quiroz and González (2023); Ubaque and Castañeda-Peña
(2020); Ubaque-Casallas (2023) which although have undoubtedly improved the way
English teachers’ identity construction and renegotiation is perceived across diverse
Teacher Researchers’ Identity and Decolonial Stance in ELT:
A Collaborative Autoethnography
159 No. 26
levels and settings, including postgraduate education and even queer and indigenous
scenarios, such an action is always done following an etic stance, that is, following
an outsider position where the researcher is not intimately involved in the process.
Additionally, scholarly literature existing in the eld in Colombia does not seem to
inform tge existing nexus between the past and current experiences that individuals
go through and how said lived experiences inuence the development of a critical
decolonial stance towards the eld and knowledge making in general.
To examine the teacher researcher identity construction trajectory of the three
English teachers involved in this study, the following research questions guided the
overall inquiry: What does collaborative autoethnography reveal about the identity
shaping trajectory as researchers of a group of three English teachers? How are their
experiences intertwined? And, nally, in what ways do these individual, sociocultural,
and pedagogical practices and experiences contribute to the enactment and
understanding of a critical and decolonial stance from the eld? Now we present the
literature review that supported this study.
Theoretical Considerations
Collaborative Autoethnography as a Research Method
Traditional research methods in applied linguistics have long been considered
highly rigorous and trustworthy (Wall, 2006). is has been crucial in ensuring the
correct development of research processes within the eld. However, a notable shi
occurred in recent years, challenging the notion that researchers should remain
detached observers. Pioneering work by Ellis (1993; 1995) and other theorists led to a
transformation in the perception of the researcher’s role. Gradually, researchers were
encouraged to become active participants in the research, as their personal experiences,
feelings, and thoughts were recognized as relevant data for analysis.
Amidst this changing landscape, collaborative autoethnography emerged as a
relatively new research approach, seeking to challenge traditional and authoritative
perspectives that prioritized the rigor of conventional research methods and scientic
objectivity (Wall, 2008). Broadly speaking, collaborative autoethnography involves
analyzing the narratives shared by participants to uncover commonalities and
divergences, shedding light on their experiences within specic sociocultural contexts
(Chang et al., 2016). When undergoing collaborative autoethnography, the participant/
researcher plays a pivotal role in the process, serving as the epistemological and
ontological nexus (Spry, 2001) upon which the process and overall results are obtained.
Although collaborative autoethnography may initially appear focused on individual
experiences (“I”), it transcends the personal realm. us, one of the key characteristics
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of collaborative autoethnography is its focus on inclusivity and shared authorship,
where multiple researchers or participants collaborate in the research process, bringing
diverse perspectives and insights to the table. Participants and researchers engaging
in collaborative autoethnography must consider the social, cultural, linguistic, and
political dimensions surrounding their experiences. By examining the interplay
between personal traits and cultural inuences, collaborative autoethnography
facilitates a holistic analysis of the narratives and events under exploration (Méndez,
2014). Additionally, collaborative autoethnography embraces reexivity, encouraging
researchers to openly acknowledge their own subjectivities, emotions, and biases,
thereby enhancing the transparency and credibility of the research ndings. is
approach is particularly valuable in illuminating complex social issues, fostering
empathy, and generating knowledge that is both rigorous and deeply human-centered.
Finally, it is also important to highlight that successfully conducting collaborative
autoethnography involves a carefully orchestrated series of steps to ensure a rich
and meaningful research journey. e rst critical step is assembling a diverse and
committed group of researchers or participants who are willing to actively engage in
the collaborative process, establishing clear communication channels and establishing
trust among all involved parties is essential. Next, a well-dened research focus or
topic should be chosen, one that resonates with all collaborators. e data collection
phase follows, where each participant shares their personal narratives and experiences
related to the chosen topic. is step can include written accounts, audio or video
recordings, or any other medium that captures the essence of their narratives. Once
the data is collected, the analysis phase begins, where the group collaboratively
delves into the shared narratives to identify patterns, themes, and connections. is
collective sensemaking process ensures a multiplicity of perspectives, enriching the
interpretation. Lastly, the results are displayed and shared with the community willing
to get involved in the process. ese steps served as the basis for the current study, and
for a better understanding of them they will be better explained in the methodology
section.
Methodology
e implementation of this research study was grounded in the qualitative paradigm,
and it embraced a collaborative autoethnographic methodology to explore a pertinent
social phenomenon. e decision to adopt the collaborative autoethnographic
approach went beyond our mere and supercial preference; it was driven by its
unique ability to depart from the traditional detachment of researchers and instead
foster a deep connection between the personal experiences of the authors and the
subject under investigation. Indeed, collaborative autoethnography oered a distinct
advantage in that it permitted a collective exploration of researcher subjectivity. By
intertwining individual narratives, the researchers found themselves intricately woven
into the social dimension they sought to understand. is integration with the social
Teacher Researchers’ Identity and Decolonial Stance in ELT:
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161 No. 26
dimension, as highlighted by Ariza-Quiñones et al. (2022), further strengthens the
position of collaborative autoethnography as a highly social approach to qualitative
research that is not only on the process perse and on the results obtained, but on the
people who underlie such a process.
Participant- Researchers’ Positionalities
Mosquera-Pérez
I am a Colombian ELT professor and scholar that identies as a professional
under a constant process of construction (Barkhuizen, 2016; Danielewicz, 2014) as
my identity trajectory has been redened based on several experiences I have been
through. I have taught English across all educational contexts, and at this moment
I am performing as a full time English teacher educator researcher who is teaching
pre-service EFL teachers within the context of a foreign language teacher education
program in a Colombian public university. As such, I have been actively involved with
research processes that range from English as an international lingua franca, World
Englishes, critical discourse analysis, teacher’s identity, among others.
Hurtado-Torres
I am Ángela, an English teacher whose identity as a person and as a professional
has been highly inuenced by my roots. I am the daughter of the rst generation of a
peasant family that had the opportunity to go to the university. I have worked in public
and private schools and universities in Colombia and in the United States. Currently,
I am performing as a full time English teacher in a Colombian private university. My
interest for vindicating the stories of communities that , same as rural areas, have
been invisibilized, has made that my research interests lean towards social justice
practices, fostering in students the critical thinking, connecting school learning with
everydayness, raising awareness about the power and knowledge relation, with the
objective of encouraging a social transformation.
Pérez-Diaz
I am a Colombian foreign language teacher whose teaching practice has been
inuenced by multiple national and international cultures. Being exposed to foreign
cities such as Poitiers in France and essaloniki in Greece have made me rethink my
teaching identity and conclude that my role in teaching is not limited to my country
or only one place, but to the world (Guerrero & Quintero, 2021). Similarly, I have had
Jhon Eduardo Mosquera Pérez, Flor Ángela Hurtado Torres
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the opportunity to work in all educational contexts (both children and youth, as well as
university students and adults seeking employment opportunities). I currently work as
a full-time English teacher and French tutor at a private Colombian university.
My interest in research is centered on the fact that I have been exposed to dierent
ideologies of various European countries which have led me to perceive a worldwide
culture. ese events have made my critical spirit increase and at the same time instill
a solid goodwill for my students to reect beyond learning metalinguistic aspects of
the foreign language. Likewise, transmitting this critical thinking through the material
design is something that attracts my attention since it is the way to constitute a living
and active resource for future teaching practices.
Data Collection and Analysis
As mentioned above, when undergoing CAE reexivity plays a crucial role
throughout the process. As the participants and researchers directly involved, we had
to openly acknowledge our own subjectivities, emotions, and biases, understanding
their inuence on the research process and ndings. is transparency enhanced
the rigor and authenticity of the study. Bearing these elements in mind, and as a way
to weave together our own interpretations, reections, and insights into a cohesive
narrative, we decided to follow the framework proposed by Fallas-Escobar and Pentón-
Herrera’s (2022) in their inquiry, and followed a three step process for data collection
and analysis, being these as follow:
Step 1: Setting the Ground
Before formally beginning this research process, we held constant meetings with the
purpose of identifying narratives and experiences that could serve as our data. We held
these types of face to face meetings for a couple of months, and once we decided upon
the experiences we would be analyzing, we agreed on the need to better understand
those that had contributed to the construction of our teacher researchers identity by
way of a collaborative autoethnography. At this point we established to write about
instances that had inuenced or not the construction of our identity as researchers.
Such a writing process was unstructured and we agreed on the need to write about what
we considered was relevant for the aforementioned process. We agreed to constantly
share our texts with the others so that we could continuously be engaged with the data
being gathered and with the initial experiences being reconstructed.
Teacher Researchers’ Identity and Decolonial Stance in ELT:
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Step 2: Formalizing the Process and Sharing our Initial
Narratives
Once we had the initial dras of our texts, we proceeded to share them with
one another. At this point we observed that we had written about many signicant
experiences within our time as undergraduate and postgraduate students. Although
most of these experiences were signicant to us, we decided to narrow down our
experiences and principally centered our attention on those having to do with research
during our time as students in the two aforementioned scenarios. We are mentioning
this because even if we acknowledge that all the experiences we had written about
were important, analyzing all of them in a single research article would be practically
impossible. us, and as suggested in previous lines, we focused on particular research
experiences that took place in our time as former bachelor’s and master’s degree
students.
Step 3: Strengthening our Narratives and Establishing
Themes
is was the nal step of the process. At this stage we read each other´s narratives
again bearing in mind the research objectives we had initially established. If a rst
reading of the narratives gave us an initial idea of the experiences that contributed
to the initial shaping of our identity as teacher researchers, this second round of
analysis allowed us to develop a more profound understanding of these. In this sense,
themes having to do with initial experiences with research held in the frame of our
corresponding undergraduate programs (as students, with professors, in research
seedbeds), and subsequent experiences we had been engaged in (within the context
of our respective master degrees, and our own work as ELT researchers) began to
emerge. At this point, we compared and contrasted once more these initial codes
and established some nal categories, namely: 1) Undergraduate Education and
Initial Experiences with Research: e Emergence of a Teacher Researcher Identity?, 2)
Experiences with Research in Postgraduate Education and Beyond: Towards an Endless
Path of Transformation, and 3) Performing as Critical Decolonial Scholars: Enacting a
Reexive and Transformational Stance in ELT and Beyond rough Research. Below we
provide richer details for each one of them.
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Findings
Undergraduate Education and Initial Experiences with
Research: The Emergence of a Teacher Researcher
Identity?
Becoming an English teacher requires formally enrolling in a foreign language
teacher education program. It happened to the three of us. rough the development
of the narratives we observed that we had an element in common: we joined a teacher
education program from two dierent universities in Colombia because of our desire
to be educators working within the ELT eld. However, while we were considering
this possibility back in our years as students, we never thought of doing research or
becoming teacher researchers as an important aspect to develop, as appreciated in the
following pieces of data:
“Each story has its own beginning. Mine started at the age of 15. e year was 2008. I was at
home, resting on the oor of my house. I was considering the path I would be taking for my life,
when, suddenly, my mom (who has always been characterized for her wise way of thinking)
approached me and said: Jhon, have you ever thought about what you would like to be in the
future? Naturally, my answer was not very clear (probably a product of my immature way of
seeing life at that time). Aer a couple of minutes, mom replied to my answer and said: why
do not you consider the option of becoming an English teacher. I nd it necessary to stress that
I was not totally sure about mom´s recommendations, but what she said later on was what
denitively engaged me in the process of learning English at university level. Her words were
literally these: if you studied English, Jhon, you would have the chance of making a decent
living apart from being able to travel all over the world, because English is the global language
(Nunan, 2001). When I think about my mom’s speech, I acknowledge that her words have
always resonated in my head, as most of the things she “predicted” back in 2008, are part of my
memory now” (Mosquera-Pérez, Narrative 1).
“I always liked the Spanish subject when I was studying at school. And since my sister had
already joined university, she got me the syllabus of the Modern Languages program with
an emphasis on Spanish-English and talked to me about the subjects that were part of this
undergraduate degree. I wasn’t sure I wanted to study English, but my sister told me that by
studying languages, my eld of action would be wider and I would have more possibilities of
getting a better job. Since that conversation I had with her, when I was in tenth grade, I began
to study the English language on my own thanks to material that my sister and my teachers
at school got me. In tenth and eleventh grade, my attention was focused on the two languages.
Hence, my motivation to study the degree I chose was on one hand, the like I had for my mother
tongue, and on the other hand, the inuence that other people who were aware of the possible
advantages this would bring me had on me” (Hurtado-Torres, Narrative 1).
e just mentioned aspect is reinforced in the following data retrieved from the
narrative by Pérez-Diaz who similarly remarked not feeling attracted by research back
in his years as an undergraduate student due to various circumstances. In his words,
Teacher Researchers’ Identity and Decolonial Stance in ELT:
A Collaborative Autoethnography
165 No. 26
he expresses that he remembers when he “started taking a course called “research
methodology” I perceived doing research as something boring, too methodical, and
impractical. I remember that it was a very structured class where we had to deliver brief
reports on each methodology and approach, but everything only stayed on paper, as we
did not perform any formal research process. I consider this class should be the basis for
the research project that as students we should present at the end of our studies, but aer
seeing that little was done, at that time I was not interested in investigating or in getting
to know more about dierent topics related to my profession” (Pérez-Diaz - Narrative 1)
us, it is possible to arm that we all enrolled in a teacher education program with
the purpose of merely becoming language teachers in order to have more academic
and professional opportunities. It is especially observable in Mosquera-Pérez and
Hurtado-Torres’ narratives who arm that they decided to study a bachelor’s degree
with an emphasis on languages because of the inuence that people surrounding them
exerted on that regard.
In connection with these elements, some authors including Papanastasiou
and Papanastasiou (1997) and Kyriacou et al. (1999) arm that individuals enroll
in teacher education programs without having a clear sense of direction, as in two
research studies they carried out participants reported having made the decision of
becoming teachers because of the inuence their families and friends exerted on them,
as seen in our own cases. Nevertheless, in another research study Macías et al. (2020)
determined that even though at the very beginning pre-service teachers do not have
the intention of staying in the profession, aer exposure to all types of experiences,
these students begin to develop an initial teacher identity that further motivates them
to remain within the eld. Taking into consideration these armations, here we nd it
necessary to highlight that something similar happened to us, but with research. At the
beginning of our studies we did not plan engaging with research or becoming teacher
researchers due to some negative and demotivating experiences we had. is is better
expressed by two of us:
“e experiences I had in terms of research during my undergraduate studies were few, if not
null. All of us were required to take at least 2 research courses called “Research Methodology”
and “Research Seminar”. Despite having to take these 2 mandatory courses (since they
belonged to the syllabus of the degree) I feel that what I learned was minimal. Both times I had
classes with the same professor, but even aer taking these classes (for the 4th and 5th academic
semester), it was not even clear to me what the concepts of qualitative or quantitative research
implied” (Mosquera- Pérez, Narrative 1).
“Now that I think of it I can only say that the experiences I had were few. I did not have many
peers involved in research in my career and the few who did it, did not have good experiences.
Teachers who were in charge of the research courses generally dedicated themselves to mentioning
the parts of a project, and the types of research. I had several seminars. One of them was titled
“pedagogical and investigative projects”. For this course, I had to go to public institutions to
make observations to subsequently design improvement strategies. In the sixth semester, I had
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to take the research methodology course. I remember that in this subject we had to learn some
investigative concepts almost by heart, something which made me feel disinterested towards the
class. In the eighth semester I had to take another course known as “research project”. In this
seminar we had to present a proposal for the development of the thesis, but I feel that most of us
proposed some ideas only for approving the subject. I did not have any other course on research,
and because of all of these experiences, I was never motivated to carry out a project by myself”
(Hurtado-Torres, Narrative 1).
As illustrated above, in his time as an undergraduate student Mosquera-Pérez had
to take some courses regarding research. However, it seems that such courses did not
have an impact on his understanding of the eld. e same occurred with Hurtado-
Torres. She similarly arms that despite having to take some research related subjects,
she did not nd any motivation to continue doing research or to assume research as a
possible path to follow in her future professional trajectory. Consequently, we did not
see ourselves as researchers nor fully understood the importance of doing research in
a eld as it is the case of ELT. Because of these frustrations, we would even avoid future
experiences with research at all cost:
“In the tenth semester I did a classroom project with a classmate, and I needed to do the thesis
as a requirement for graduation. Unfortunately, we did not have an advisor to guide us and
we did not feel like we were making any progress. As we were in a hurry to graduate, we gave
up on the project, and I decided to enroll in a master’s degree as a modality to graduate and
not to have to do a research project. at’s how I graduated from college” (Hurtado-Torres,
Narrative 1).
“I did not have any type of experience with research (thesis/monographs), research seedbeds,
or the like because the experience I had had with the research courses had not been the best. In
fact, having taken these courses made me feel discouraged about what research involves to the
point of feeling extremely boring and dicult. I remember that because of the situation, many
of my classmates and I took a degree seminar entitled “Multiple Intelligences” to avoid carrying
out our respective thesis. A couple of friends intended to develop a thesis project, but they
constantly told me that it was an arduous process, and that it required a lot of time, reading,
and preparation. ey nally gave up with the project” (Mosquera-Pérez, Narrative 1).
From the three of us, only Pérez-Díaz seems to have had positive experiences
when it comes to research in his time as an undergraduate student, as he specically
narrates in the following reection “I remember that when I was at the university, a
classmate told me about a research seedbed related to the dissemination of the French
language through radio. is seedbed is called JOIE, which means joy. Upon receiving the
invitation from my classmate, I found myself a little insecure about this experience since
I did not know what my tasks would consist of in that hotbed. I was afraid of starting a
new process with people who knew about doing research in the subject. It got me worried,
honestly. However, it was a very good experience” (Pérez-Díaz, Narrative 1).
Concerning the aforementioned elements, it appears that even though pre-service
EFL teachers must take research oriented courses in the frame of their language teacher
Teacher Researchers’ Identity and Decolonial Stance in ELT:
A Collaborative Autoethnography
167 No. 26
education programs, this action does not necessarily guarantee the shaping of an initial
teacher researcher identity, as seen in the previously exemplied data. Hence, we think
that it is necessary to expose pre-service teachers to other types of experiences with the
intention of raising among them a higher degree of interest towards said dimension.
is has been suggested by authors including Mesa-Villa et al. (2020) and Mosquera-
Pérez and Losada-Rivas (2022) for whom engaging in research seedbeds as well as
promoting continuous reection among teachers constitute some of the main factors
which may contribute to the resignication of their identity as researchers.
It is worth remarking that although at the beginning of our professional trajectory
we did not plan to do research or saw ourselves as researchers because of our lack of
experience and guidance, this notion of teachers as researchers would progressively
change through time and due to postgraduate education, as in this space we underwent
motivational and challenging intellectual opportunities that nurtured our practices.
Experiences with Research in and After Postgraduate
Education: Towards an Endless Path of Transformation.
Despite having been engaged in certain courses with research and with other
research related activities (as it was the case of Pérez-Díaz who participated in a research
seedbed) it is not possible to hold that the formation we received in undergraduate
education was enough to contribute to the consolidation of our identity as teacher
researchers. On the contrary, by the time of nishing our studies, and as stressed in the
above paragraphs, we did not perceive research as an opportunity to continue growing
as professionals. Consequently, we did not consider ourselves as teacher researchers or
as teachers who could engage at some point with research projects and activities. is
situation would change, however, by the moment we undertook postgraduate studies.
Following the view of Álvarez-Valencia (2009) and Viafara and Largo (2018)
postgraduate education constitutes the perfect scenario for teachers to develop other
dimensions of their professional lives. In their research work, for example, Mosquera-
Pérez and Losada-Rivas (2022) established that aer having nished their master’s
degree in English language teaching, EFL teachers became empowered critical reective
educators. As such, they did not only conceive the teaching profession from a dierent
perspective (a more conscious one). Further than that, they incorporated research
related activities in their corresponding educational scenarios more frequently. us,
it is possible to assert that undergoing postgraduate education contributes to the
consolidation of a teacher researcher identity. e same happened to us.
e opportunity of engaging in postgraduate studies (a master’s degree, to be
more explicit) did not only allow us to develop a higher understanding of our eld.
Beyond this, this experience permitted us to begin the construction of our identity as
teacher researcher as within the frame of this experience we had contact with more
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experienced teachers from whom we learned a lot. is specic aspect is observable in
Mosquera-Pérez and Hurtado-Torres’s narratives:
“As I have suggested so far, I consider that the construction of my identity as a researcher was
not something that happened precisely at the undergraduate level. Furthermore, I consider
that the experiences I had during my undergraduate studies did not even contribute to the
development of my initial identity as a researcher. On the contrary, the experiences I had there
made me feel alienated from the eld of research because I didn’t see any use in it. It is precisely
in the context of my master’s degree that my identity as a researcher begins to take shape. I
remember that one of the events that most marked the beginning of my career as a researcher
was the contact with a professor who was in charge of the course Research II as this person was
constantly telling us about the benets that doing research would have for our future careers.
However, he did not only center on this fact. Also, he made us aware about the impact that
the previously pointed activity would have not only on our lives as professionals but also as
academics who in a certain way would contribute to the construction and consolidation of the
ELT eld at a national level” (Mosquera-Pérez, Narrative 2).
“All my research seminar teachers were quite inspiring, with a long trajectory at research. In
the rst semester I took the seminar: Research Foundations. is course marked a before and
aer for me in terms of research. As I have remarked, in undergraduate I felt that research
was always aimed at improving a skill. However, when I presented my research proposal to
my professor in the master’s degree I did, he told me that I could impact a community through
my research work. Since that moment, I began to consider the possibility of implementing my
study in a rural community as I wanted to generate an impact. I remember that such a moment
was very special because it changed my perspective of research. I felt that research could fulll
one of my passions, which is working for people from rural communities” (Hurtado-Torres,
Narrative 2).
As just seen, Mosquera-Pérez maintains that sharing with one specic professor
who taught within the context of the master’s degree he was undertaking was one
of the aspects that contributed to the initial development of his identity as a teacher
researcher. In a few words, the aforementioned professor exerted an inuence on him.
Similarly, Hurtado-Torres highlights that being in contact with professors with a long
research trajectory contributed to her formation process. Besides this, she suggests
that because of the cordial recommendation of one of her mentors, she even began to
combine her own interests with research, and, as a result, one of her research lines was
dened.
In connection with these elements, Wenger (1999) remarks that certain dimensions
inherent to teacher identity construction take place in the doing. us, and as displayed
in the previous data, constantly sharing with professional teacher researchers plays
an essential role in the formation of one’s own identity as researcher. However, we
deem it necessary to clarify this is not the only factor that has a repercussion on the
aforementioned process. Other experiences such as attending academic conferences
derived from the process itself of studying a masters’s degree were also important, as
exemplied in the following lines retrieved from Hurtado-Torres’ narrative:
Teacher Researchers’ Identity and Decolonial Stance in ELT:
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“I had the opportunity to give presentations while I was doing my master’s degree. It was
2018, and I was a third semester student when I submitted my presentation to an event called
“Teachers’ Moot”. is event was organized by the master’s program I was studying at that
moment, and it was the rst time I presented in those types of scenarios. However, that was
only the rst experience of three I had in total by that time. I also presented in ASOCOPI in
Cartagena, and another one organized by Universidad Ponticia Bolivariana. In general, those
experiences were very enriching and signicant for me as these constituted a dream that came
true” (Hurtado-Torres, Narrative 2).
At this point, Hurtado-Torres acknowledges the signicant contributions that
having participated in some academic events had for her initial teacher researcher
identity process. Beyond this, she recognizes that by participating in these events,
our own research works may prot based on continuous feedback coming from other
scholars partaking in such spaces:
“Next year, by 2019, a professor from my university helped me along with another colleague
to send our presentation to the “ICQI” (International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry” run
by the University of Illinois, in the United States. Once again, I saw how dreams that seemed
impossible were materializing. I had the opportunity to travel and participate in the congress,
and to this day I feel that I do not have words to describe how incredible it was. In the rst
place, it was very interesting to learn about the topics that were being investigated. On the other
hand, it was also very interesting to observe rsthand the way those themes were presented,
since many of the speakers gave an account of their studies through various artistic expressions.
I was scared about my presentation, but in the table where I presented people were nice and
made signicant contributions to the study I was developing”
Hurtado-Torres was not the only participant that recognized the importance
of academic events for the initial formation of her identity as a teacher researcher.
Mosquera-Pérez further acknowledges this aspect, as seen in the following lines:
“I would like to stress that thanks to having submitted my rst presentation at an academic
event, and aer having been so well received, I decided to continue participating actively
as a speaker in specialized ELT events. Up to this point, I have participated as a speaker in
approximately 15 national and international academic events as I understood that attending
these types of scenarios is of paramount importance when it comes to knowledge dissemination”
(Mosquera-Pérez, Narrative 2).
Interestingly, although we were able to establish that the whole experiences we
had in our time in postgraduate education were fundamental for the progressive
development of our identity as teacher researchers, we also recognize the fact that
experiences we have had aer that time have been decisive for the consolidation of
such a dimension. In this regard, Hurtado-Torres and Pérez-Díaz state the following:
“In 2021 I began to work in the university which is my current institutional aliation, and
there I met Professors Mosquera-Pérez and Pérez-Díaz. We formed a group with the purpose of
doing research and up to date we have developed three studies. is experience has been highly
benecial in the sense that I have had the opportunity of improving my knowledge of the design
Jhon Eduardo Mosquera Pérez, Flor Ángela Hurtado Torres
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of instruments and other similar aspects when it comes to doing research. Additionally, and
because of this, we have had the opportunity of participating in congresses outside the country,
spaces in which we have not only received very relevant feedback, but we have also made
connections to collaborate with our projects. Hence, it has been a very valuable opportunity”.
(Hurtado-Torres, Narrative 3).
“Now that I work for a university, I have had the opportunity to have new investigative
experiences and I have been also able to work with two colleagues who are professors Mosquera-
Pérez and Hurtado-Torres. is process has helped me to know and learn from the investigative
practices of my colleagues, which I see as something very positive for my professional training”
(Pérez-Díaz, Narrative 3).
In her narrative 3, Hurtado-Torres recognizes that aer the experiences she was
exposed to in postgraduate education, she has had the opportunity of engaging in
research with two other colleagues (prof. Mosquera-Pérez and Pérez-Díaz) in order
to continue doing investigations revolving around her research interests. Similarly,
in his narrative 3, Pérez-Díaz stresses that by being engaged in such a work, his
knowledge about dierent dimensions of knowledge having to do with research seems
to have improved. Hence, assuming a more active role when it comes to research and
professional networking is one of the characteristics that teacher researchers enact.
We deem it necessary to mention that even if it appears to be that aer our initial
experiences with research in postgraduate education we were more willing to expand
our network and be actively engaged with other professionals from the eld, we were
also able establish that for us research transcended instrumental and objectifying
stances and became a lifelong endeavor through which could construct knowledge
while helping others. In turn, we began to conceive research as a mechanism to
collaborate with people and communities surrounding us, as displayed by Hurtado-
Torres who comments that “It is necessary to mention that the work we have done has
strengthened many of my skills. It has allowed me to recognize that my identity as a
researcher also allows me to have a voice and thus generate important transformations
in the eld of ELT and within my own classroom context”.
Performing as Critical Decolonial Scholars: Enacting a
Reflexive and Transformational Stance in ELT and Beyond
Through Research
Maybe one of the most powerful takeaways derived from this collaborative
autoethnography is that beyond assuming research and our identity as teacher
researchers as an opportunity to grow professionally, it constitutes a chance to
critically examine the eld while promoting courses of action and change. is is
clearly reected in the narrative provided by Hurtado-Torres who contends that “as my
research journey progressed, I encountered professors who empathized with my evolving
Teacher Researchers’ Identity and Decolonial Stance in ELT:
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perspective. Nevertheless, this path towards a more profound and human-centered
research methodology was fraught with challenges. Pursuing topics not considered
contemporarily relevant exposed me to marginalization within academic circles. I felt both
excluded and reluctant to conform to an environment characterized by individualism
and competitiveness, contrary to the research identity I was cultivating”
In her excerpt, Hurtado-Torres acknowledges that by being engaged in research and
with dierent professionals and communities, she understands that the ultimate goal
of engaging in research should not be that of proting in an economic or professional
way. Further than that, she now thinks that research should be a tool to help human
beings and communities improve not only at an intellectual but also at a humanistic
level. e same stance can be encountered in the case of Pérez-Diaz who stresses that
“Pedagogical experiences are a fundamental space to reect on the traditional educational
paradigms that have been imposed since colonization since they serve as a guide to question and
challenge the power structures and hegemonic knowledge that have been imposed throughout
history. Both in my role as an undergraduate and graduate student, as well as in my current
role as an English and French teacher, I have witnessed a colonial education characterized by
the imposition of a single form of knowledge, privileging the Western perspective and denying
the richness and diversity of other knowledge and cultures. us, in my perspective, I perceive
that Colombian teachers have been victims and accomplices at the same time of a mentality
dependent on this “global north”. is is the specic case of the design of materials where I
have perceived throughout my experience that the priority is to hire foreign publishing agencies
and not to encourage the creation of autonomous didactic materials. is has generated
an educational system that perpetuates inequalities and exclusion, since the experiences
and knowledge of teachers are neither recognized nor valued, and in the case of indigenous
communities, Afro-descendants and other cultural minorities, they play a negligible role in the
classroom”
In the two cases shown above, Hurtado-Torres and Pérez-Díaz maintain that their
perspectives towards research and knowledge in general have changed due to their
continuous contact with other researchers as well as and dynamics taking place within
the eld. is is similarly illustrated by Mosquera-Pérez for whom the notion of what
bilingualism is, has evolved.
“Getting directly into my understanding of what bilingualism implies, I feel totally necessary
to maintain that now I am more fully aware of all what it requires, implies and signies for a
nation like Colombia. It is really curious to perceive that while at postgraduate education and
from our role as academics in formation we are already assuming more autonomous, critical,
and emancipatory perspectives, in undergraduate education we were not aware of all what it
requires and implies to be an English language teacher, or, as Guerrero (2008) suggests, we were
not even given the opportunity to. us, one of our challenges and future endeavors as English
language teachers, I believe, will be giving our students the chance of not only become aware
of the fact that bilingualism goes much beyond the mere English/Spanish relationship, but also
make them acquainted with the latest issues and trends within the eld such as English as an
international lingua franca, global Englishes languages teaching, postmethod pedagogies as well
Jhon Eduardo Mosquera Pérez, Flor Ángela Hurtado Torres
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as critical/emancipatory methods so that they will also have the opportunity of contributing the
the development of a more autonomous less hegemonized Colombian society where mainly the
powerful can decide” (Mosquera-Pérez, Narrative 3)
“Intriguingly, the just mentioned situations align with what Kachru (2012) has
referred to as “three circles models” for the teaching of English. According to this professor,
in expanding circle countries (like Colombia among others) the teaching of English merely
responds to international agendas (Correa & Usma, 2013; Valencia, 2013) which sell the
idea of progress through English (Escobar, 2013). In this sense, individuals who can aord
to pay for better language education will have better job and education opportunities
over those who can not pay for those services, leading the English language towards a
condition that professor Mahboob (2011) regards as a “gatekeeper” (Mosquera-Pérez,
Narrative 3)
Equally important, Mosquera-Pérez manifests that his perception of what English
education and bilingualism implies goes much beyond, and now he recognizes that
while it is undeniable that English is a language that oers privileges and benets, it
also oppresses people and communities at large, especially the most vulnerable.
“e gatekeeping condition that the English language has been exerting in Colombia is
something really preoccupying. On the one hand, there are individuals who have much money
to pay for international exchange programs, intensive preparation courses as well as for the
materials required for it. On the other hand, there are individuals who must decide whether
to work for eating or studying. erefore, how can we as English language teachers contribute
to the improvement of all of these situations? And more importantly, how are we ensuring that
from our role we are not being some of the perpetrators of all of these conditions? Well, to be
honest, I have no answer yet. What I am pretty sure of is that at least by being aware of all of
these facts and of all of what bilingualism and bilingual education really implies, we will be able
to give one step at a time and will surely contribute to the transition from teacher-centered and
traditional cognitive/linguistic oriented ones to more sociocritical student-centered models of
teaching; which is something our Colombian society really needs”
To nish, we would like to sustain that although engaging in research and in other
professional and community related practices has allowed a more profound and critical
decolonial understanding of the eld, and even if we now advocate more frequently
for social justice and other human-centered approaches and practices in English
language teaching, embracing the role of critical-decolonialized teacher/researchers
has been a complex and challenging evolution. erefore, it becomes essential to keep
promoting English teaching otherwise stances that do not sell the idea of English as
the “key” to the world, but approaches and practices that promote multiculturalism,
multilingualism, language ecologies, English as a lingua franca and world Englishes
oriented pedagogies, to mention a few, as a manner to continue decolonizing ELT. is
is our biggest commitment at the moment of writing our narratives, and letting you
know what we have learned along this ongoing way.
Teacher Researchers’ Identity and Decolonial Stance in ELT:
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Conclusions
e rst conclusion we drew from this collaborative autoethnographic study is
that the experiences held in the context of undergraduate education were not enough
to develop an initial teacher researcher identity. Even if we were exposed to some
experiences regarding research, these did not give us the tools nor the chance for
understanding why becoming ELT researchers was important. us, more constantly
exposing and engaging pre-service EFL teachers to research since undergraduate
education is important if they are expected to contribute to the advancement of the
eld. Promoting research oriented practices from an early stage in teacher education
can contribute to the detachment of knowledge production systems which merely
situates Anglo and Euro-centered perspectives, as historically speaking research has
been perceived as an activity that only experts, especially those coming from more
powerful settings, can perform.
Another conclusion we obtained aer the sharing of our narratives and aer the
implementation of the overall study is that even if experiences held in the frame of
postgraduate education were fundamental for the initial construction of our identity
as teacher researchers, continuous engagement in research and in other community
and professional development activities are essential for the proper consolidation of an
identity as a researcher. ese scenarios should be more constantly promoted with the
intention of raising awareness among educators about the importance that research
has for their professional lives and for the overall ELT eld. Besides, it is important to
promote research not only as an activity to achieve professional advancements, that is,
getting higher employment positions in life. Research and engagement in knowledge
production should be promoted so that pre-service teachers and in-service teachers
alike understand the importance and impact that this activity may have for a country
like Colombia. Development and more socially aware practices, among others, could
be the result of such an action.
Lastly, we would like to nish this article by inviting other researchers and educators
to continue examining teacher researcher identity and other dimensions of the eld as
it is the case of professional development and teachers’ agency through collaborative
autoethnography. Although this is a relatively new approach for doing research in
Colombia, promoting more studies revolving around collaborative autoethnography
could help enrich scholarly literature in national ELT by examining how multiple
dimension having to do with the self that educators enact are being constructed across
diverse scenarios (be these undergraduate or postgraduate education) in the national
context. is was our case. Although we initially did not see nor conceive research as a
potential mechanism for growing professionally while helping others around us, now
we believe that research has the power to keep inuencing society in a positive way.
is collaborative autoethnography, though, is not the nal result of our self-reection
process. It is an ongoing analysis derived from a wider project that seeks to analyze
Jhon Eduardo Mosquera Pérez, Flor Ángela Hurtado Torres
and Daniel Elias Pérez Diaz
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and better understand how language ideologies, pedagogical practices, and Global
North and Global South epistemologies intertwine when it comes to the continuous
identity construction and negotiation process that in-service EFL teachers go through.
ese results will be shared on another occasion, once the process has been nalized
(considering that one’s identity is continuously being inuenced by multiple factors we
encounter in life and academia). en, time will tell.
Teacher Researchers’ Identity and Decolonial Stance in ELT:
A Collaborative Autoethnography
175 No. 26
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Authors:
Jhon Eduardo Mosquera Pérez is a full time English teacher educator and
researcher at Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia (UPTC) in Boyacá.
He holds an. B.A and an M.A in English Language Teaching from Universidad
Surcolombiana and an M.A in Learning and Teaching Processes in Second Languages
from Universidad Ponticia Bolivariana. Currently he belongs to the groups “Aprenap”
and “Comuniquémonos” (Universidad Surcolombiana), “Corporación si mañana
despierto” (Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia – UPTC) and “LSLP”
– Literacies in Second Languages Learning” (Universidad Ponticia Bolivariana)
where he addresses research in relation to the areas of English as a lingua franca,
World Englishes, language ideologies among others.
ORCID ID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4027-3102
Flor Angela Hurtado holds a B.A in Modern Languages and a master’s degree
in Language Teaching from Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia
(Uptc). Currently, she is a full-time teacher at the Language Institute, Centro
Internacional de Lenguas y Culturas Extranjeras -CILCE, from Universidad Santo
Tomás, Tunja. Angela is a peasants’ daughter, whose research interests have been
related to her roots and to social justice practices. She is part of the research group KIA
(Knowledge in Action) at Uptc and the research group Language and Culture Research
Cluster from Santo Tomás University.
ORCID ID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9071-5522
Daniel Elias Pérez Diaz holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Foreign Languages English
and French from the Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia (UPTC).
Master of French didactics as a Foreign and Second Language from the University of
Poitiers/France. Scholarship holder of the DIN (research direction) in 2015. He has
interest in the creation and design of materials, as well as materials, as well as decolonial
theories, the didactics of EFL/ESP/FLE/FOS/FLI.. Currently he is a full time professor
of French at the Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia.
ORCID ID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1470-4784
Teacher Researchers’ Identity and Decolonial Stance in ELT:
A Collaborative Autoethnography
