Learning to Teach a Foreign Language: Identity Negotiation and Conceptualizations of Pedagogical Progress

From an empirical standpoint, relatively little is known about learning outcomes associated with foreign language teacher preparation programs in the United States. In order to address this gap, the present study considers a Spanish student teacher's learning about language pedagogy during her yearlong licensure program. Using symbolic interactionist and teacher socialization lenses, the study conceptualizes learning in social terms, with identity as the unit of analysis. Findings highlight the messages that were communicated to the participant by significant others in university‐ and student teaching–based settings about how she should take up the role of Spanish teacher, in addition to the unique ways in which she folded—or did not fold—these messages into her self‐concept. The notion of progress in the field of foreign language teacher education is discussed in light of these findings.