An ecological inquiry into the identity formation of a novice TESOL research mentor: Critical autoethnographic narratives in focus

Abstract

This study reports on the identity formation of the author as a novice research mentor of an independent research course for TESOL teachers over six months (from the course design to the first research submission). The data is collected from four critical autoethnographic narratives written by the author before, during, and after this period. The narratives were analysed thematically with an eye on the theoretical underpinning of the study, i.e. ecological perspective, in three ecological layers namely micro-, meso-, and macrosystem. The results revealed that the author’s identity construction was influenced by different factors such as ‘autonomy in mentoring’, ‘mediating mentorship’, or ‘academic recognition’ in three levels of educational ecology. The results of this study can motivate research mentors and teacher educators, specifically novice ones, to find some similarities with the ideas discussed in this research and to record their lived experiences as a tool for reflection.