TEACHER IDENTITY, EMOTION LABOR AND AGENCY IN NEOLIBERAL ACADEMIC CONTEXT: A MULTIPLE CASE STUDY OF PART-TIME EARLY CAREER ENGLISH INSTRUCTORS IN TÜRKİYE

Date

2026-8-3

Author

Duraklar, Merve

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Despite the increasing reliance on precarious academic labor within the neoliberal higher education context, the lived experiences of early-career, part-time English language instructors in Turkish foundation universities remain under-researched. Addressing this gap, this qualitative multiple-case study explored how these instructors perceive their professional positioning and how they navigate the interplay of teacher identity, emotional labor, and teacher agency across macro, meso, and micro contexts. Data was collected from five early-career instructors through three rounds of semi-structured interviews and reflective teacher diaries. The qualitative data was analyzed through an iterative process of thematic analysis, employing Yin’s (2014) five-step method and Saldaña (2013)’s eclectic coding cycles. Findings revealed that participants suffer from economic and professional devaluation, struggling with a societal "sacred but unvalued" paradox that enhances their marginalized status. Furthermore, precarity at the macro level triggered emotional dissonance and identity tensions among the participants. However, the interaction between emotional labor, teacher identity, and individual agency primarily took place at the meso (institutional) level, arising from tensions stemming from the clash between the participants’ pedagogical self and institutional realities. As a result, the participants’ navigation of the interaction between emotional labor, teacher identity, and individual agency under conditions of precariousness and institutional dissonance occurred within a limited spectrum ranging from survival-driven compliance to strategic resistance. Furthermore, this complex navigation process was also amplified by a micro-level "reality shock" concerning classroom management. The study concludes that resolving these professional tensions requires structural reforms rather than relying on the individual agency of precarious instructors.

Subject Keywords

Precarity, Teacher Identity, Emotional Labor, Teacher Agency, English language teaching

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/119984

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis