Educational Climates in Flux: A Metaphorical Lens on Language Teacher Identity Development in Teacher Education
https://doi.org/10.26907/esd.20.3.03
EDN: FYGSFI
Abstract
While Climate Change Education (CCE) typically promotes environmental literacy, this study explores its metaphorical application to understand how Iranian English language teachers construct their professional identities amid systemic disruptions.
Drawing on metaphor and teacher identity theories, 32 pre- and in-service teachers used climate metaphors (e.g., storms, droughts, earthquakes) to articulate challenges and resilience in Iran’s shifting educational landscape. Through qualitative methods – metaphor tasks, interviews, and workshops – three patterns emerged: storms signified sudden disruptions (52 %), droughts reflected resource scarcity (31 %), and earthquakes marked policy-induced ruptures (17 %). Resilience strategies mapped onto the ESA teacher education model (Engage, Study, Activate), leading to a proposed Climate-Resilient ESA framework. Findings offer insights for teacher education in similarly turbulent BRICS contexts.
About the Author
Fariba Haghighi Irani
Islamic Azad University, West Tehran Branch
Islamic Republic of Iran
Islamic Republic of Iran
Fariba Haghighi Irani
Tehran
References
1. Aeschbach, V. M.-J., Schwichow, M., & Rieß, W. (2025). Effectiveness of climate change education – a meta-analysis. Frontiers in Education, 10, 1563816. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1563816
2. Akkerman, S. F., & Bakker, A. (2011). Boundary crossing and boundary objects. Review of Educational Research, 81(2), 132–169. doi: 10.3102/0034654311404435
3. Akkerman, S. F., & Meijer, P. C. (2010). A dialogical approach to conceptualizing teacher identity. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(2), 308–319. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2010.08.013
4. Barkhuizen, G. (2021). Language teacher educator identity. Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/9781108874083
5. Beauchamp, C., & Thomas, L. (2009). Understanding teacher identity: an overview of issues in the literature and implications for teacher education. Cambridge Journal of Education, 39(2), 175–189. doi: 10.1080/03057640902902252
6. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. doi: 10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
7. Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by Nature and Design. Harvard University Press. doi: 10.2307/j.ctv26071r6
8. Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design (4th ed.). Sage.
9. Derakhshan, A., Karimpour, S., & Nazari, M. (2023). Making sense of emotion and identity Construction through metaphors: A prompt-based study in an English as a Foreign Language context. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 1–15. doi: 10.1080/01434632.2023.2270951
10. Dörnyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics. Oxford University Press. doi: 10.4000/asp.294
11. Drewes, A. (2018). Personal, professional, political: An exploration of science teacher identity development for teaching climate change [Doctoral dissertation, University of Delaware]. http://udspace.udel.edu/bitstream/handle/19716/23985/Drewes_udel_0060D_13481.pdf
12. Ferreira, M. (2025). Teachers’ continuous training and inclusive education – A critical stance supported by teachers’ narratives. Education and Self Development, 20(2), 12–22. doi: 10.26907/esd.20.2.02
13. Flores, M. A., & Day, C. (2006). Contexts which shape and reshape new teachers’ identities: A multiperspective study. Teaching and Teacher Education, 22(2), 219–232. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2005.09.002
14. Gadella Kamstra, L. S. (2021). Improving EFL teachers’ professional experiences and motivation: An ecological approach. Teaching English as a Second Language Electronic Journal, 25(1).
15. Giuliani, A. (2023). Exploring pandemic metaphors in educational contexts: A survey on the language of teachers and educators in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1192653. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1192653
16. Haghighi Irani, F. (2024). A path to an innovative teacher education design: Significance of teachers’ professional identity as a central construct. Education and Self Development, 19(3), 12–27. doi: 10.26907/esd.19.3.02
17. Hiver, P., & Whitehead, G. E. K. (2018). Sites of struggle: Classroom practice and the complex dynamic entanglement of language teacher agency and identity. System, 79, 70–80. doi: 10.1016/j.system.2018.04.015
18. Jones, V., Mitra, S., & Gupta, N. (2022). Climate change and sustainability education in India and the place for arts-based practice: Reflections from East Kolkata Wetlands. London Review of Education, 20(1), 48. doi: 10.14324/LRE.20.1.48
19. Kagawa, F., & Selby, D. (2022). Quality education with the planet in mind: towards a climate-responsive and nature-positive framework for the education system of lower-income countries. Sustainability Frontiers UK. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED631325.pdf
20. Karimi, M. N., & Mofidi, M. (2019). L2 teacher identity development: An activity theoretic perspective. System.81, 122–134. doi: 10.1016/j.system.2019.02.006
21. Kelchtermans, G. (1993). Getting the story, understanding the lives: From career stories to teachers’ professional development. Teaching and Teacher Education, 9(5-6), 443–456. doi: 10.1016/0742-051x(93)90029-g
22. Kelchtermans, G. (2017). 'Should I stay or should I go?' Unpacking teacher attrition/retention as an educational issue. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 23(8), 961–977. doi: 10.1080/13540602.2017.1379793
23. Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). The metaphorical structure of the human conceptual system. Cognitive Science, 4(2), 195–208. doi: 10.1207/s15516709cog0402_4
24. Larsen-Freeman, D., & Cameron, L. (2008). Complex systems and applied linguistics. Oxford University Press.
25. Liyanage, I., & Walker, T. (2023). English teachers’ identity-agency and curriculum reform policies in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 22, 427–441. doi: 10.1007/s10671-023-09343-6
26. Mansfield, C. F., Beltman, S., Broadley, T., & Weatherby-Fell, N. (2016). Building resilience in teacher education: An evidence-informed framework. Teaching and Teacher Education, 54, 77–87. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2015.11.016
27. Monroe, M. C., Plate, R. R., Oxarart, A., Bowers, A., & Chaves, W. A. (2019). Identifying effective climate change education strategies : a systematic review of the research. Environmental Education Research, 25(6), 791–812. doi: 10.1080/13504622.2017.1360842
28. Schellings, G. L. M., Koopman, M., & Beijaard, D. (2024). Exploring metaphors and metaphorically written narratives in student teachers’ professional identity work. Education Sciences, 14(9), 1022. doi: 10.3390/educsci14091022
29. Semino, E. (2008). Metaphor in discourse. Cambridge University Press.
30. Sezer, Ş. (2018). Prospective teachers’ perceptions on education policy: A metaphor analysis. International Journal of Progressive Education, 14(2), 121–135. doi: 10.29329/ijpe.2018.139.9
31. Thomas, L., & Beauchamp, C. (2011). Understanding new teachers’ professional identities through metaphor. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(4), 762–769. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2010.12.007
32. Tracy, S. J. (2019). Qualitative research methods: Collecting evidence, crafting analysis, communicating impact (2<sup>nd</sup> ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.
33. Trent, J. (2016). Constructing professional identities in shadow education: perspectives of private supplementary educators in Hong Kong. Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 15, 115–130. doi: 10.1007/s10671-015-9182-3
34. UNESCO (2024). Climate change and sustainability in science and social science secondary school curricula. doi: 10.54675/NDFI7173
35. Wang, R., Elahi Shirvan, M., & Taherian, T. (2021). An ecological study of identity in teaching English as a foreign language in light of the dynamic systems model of role identity. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 799418. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.799418
36. Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge University Press.
37. Zen, S., Ropo, E., Sovia, S., & Sansrisna. (2024). Teacher identity and climate change education: Implications for curriculum integration in Indonesia. Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability, 26(2), 74–104. doi: 10.2478/jtes-2024-0017
Review
For citations:
Irani F.H. Educational Climates in Flux: A Metaphorical Lens on Language Teacher Identity Development in Teacher Education. Education and Self-Development. 2025;20(3):29-41. https://doi.org/10.26907/esd.20.3.03. EDN: FYGSFI
Views:
38
Email this article 