Future French as a Foreign Language teachers studying abroad: linguistic stay effects based on their narratives

Abstract

Many foreign language teachers study in the country where the language they teach is spoken, which often results in an overwhelming experience. Integrating into a different culture and socializing through a foreign language modifies both the way we apprehend reality and the way we perceive ourselves and others. Being in contact with another language and another culture abroad would affect the identity constructions of future teachers. Identity, considered from a dynamic point of view, evolves and is built through interaction, a phenomenon that occurs in the host country and in which language plays an important role. This article reports partial findings of a qualitative research where we analyzed identity aspects in the narratives of 9 future Colombian French teachers.