Interplay Between Language Teacher Identity and Leadership Development

This chapter explores the dynamic interplay between language teacher identity (LTI) and language teacher leadership, proposing a conceptual framework that integrates both constructs through the lenses of dynamism, context-specificity, and discursiveness. Drawing on a growing body of literature, the chapter traces how LTI is shaped by intersecting social constructs such as race, language, religion, and ethnicity, and how these identities influence teachers’ practices, relationships, and contributions to the field. While research on LTI has expanded significantly, the study of language teacher leadership is nascent due to limited institutional support and definitional clarity. This chapter addresses this gap by conceptualizing leadership as a relational, influence-oriented process not limited to formal roles, but expressed through action, vision, and collaboration. It highlights how teacher-leaders often extend their work beyond the classroom—engaging in advocacy, influencing program policies, and fostering inclusive pedagogical practices. The chapter further examines how LTI informs leadership styles and how leadership roles, in turn, can shape teacher identity. By bridging these two domains, the chapter offers a framework to analyze how language teachers navigate, negotiate, and enact their identities and leadership roles across diverse educational contexts, concluding with recommendations for future research that foregrounds their mutual influence.