Novice language teacher identity construction: similarities, differences, and beyond

Abstract Scholarship on novice language teachers has often overlooked how novices comparatively develop personalized trajectories in the initial years. This study views novice-ness through lens of identity construction and examines three Iranian English first, second, third years teaching constructed their teacher identities. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, post-class discussions, reflective journals. analyses revealed that teachersʼ featured similarities (emotion labor, agency conflicts, standard tensions) differences (sense belonging, future selves, resistance). The demonstrates teachers’ is influenced by power relations contextual discourses as well particularities, which collectively, underscore importance reconceptualizing light identity-related professional development.