Autoethnography of a Japanese academic in an Australian university: the development and changes of professional identity

Abstract

This study uses autoethnography to examine the development of and changes in my professional identity through my study and work experiences since I came to Australia from Japan. I am currently an academic teaching Japanese language and research in the field of applied linguistics in an Australian university. I wrote a self-narrative about my experiences and the related emotions covering the time of my arrival in Australia from Japan in 1997. Because teaching and research are the major roles in my current position, I coded the narrative for statements concerning my teacher identity and my researcher identity. After reading the narratives and repeatedly reviewing the coding, I produced stories about my teacher and researcher identities. The development and changes of my professional identity were closely linked to sociopolitical aspects of my work in my immediate teaching and research contexts and to my linguistic and cultural backgrounds. My relationships with students and research colleagues tended to trigger positive emotions and contribute to the development of a positive professional identity, whereas relationships with higher management at the university were likely to cause negative emotions and contribute to the development of a negative professional identity.