Certified But Not Qualified? EFL Pre-service Teachers in Liminality

Research on novice ESL/EFL teachers' identity development often characterizes the teaching practicum/internship as a boundary-crossing period in which pre-service teachers move out of the sheltered environment of education to become in-service teachers in real classrooms. Nevertheless, many prospective teachers experience a prolonged pre-service period in which an examination-based selection mechanism is used to gatekeep teacherdom. Through the lens of liminality, the study explores the experiences of two Taiwanese pre-service secondary EFL teachers during a period filled with high-stakes recruitment examinations. By examining how the two participants negotiate their identities and learn about the profession amid the disheartening challenges and learning opportunities they face during liminality, the study gives voice to pre-service teachers caught in between institutional structures and allows them to articulate their struggles as well as their sense of agency in pursuing a teaching career. The findings yield practical implications for EFL teacher education and the examination-based selection mechanism.