The Relationship Between EFL Teachers’ Professional Identity and Professional Autonomy

Abstract

This study aims to identify 250 Turkish EFL teachers’ level of professional identity and professional autonomy. This study also aims to investigate whether the results differ by gender, the school in which they work, education level and work experience. Furthermore, the study aims to identify whether there is a significant relationship between EFL teachers’ professional identity and their professional autonomy. In this survey-based research, the results demonstrate that EFL teachers have a very high level of professional identity and a high level of professional autonomy, and the results differ by EFL teachers’ gender, school type and work experience. Results also reveal that there was a significant, positive and moderate relationship between professional identity and professional autonomy of EFL teachers. This study suggests that the freer EFL teachers feel to make decisions in their teaching and profession, the more they can define their identity in the teaching profession. Keywords: EFL teachers’ professional identity, EFL teachers’ professional autonomy, Professional development, Teacher education.