The piecing of identity: an autobiographical investigation of culture and values in language education

This study will explore my own perception of my personal and professional roles as a language teacher in Nunavik and in Japan. In this qualitative study, I attempt to understand the negotiation of language and culture both in and out of the classroom. Using the autobiographical narrative method, I investigate questions about language and identity through my own personal lens and voice. My inquiry comprises two elements; it examines and interprets key episodes in my life as a learner and teacher, and as a researcher, I link these topics to theoretical and empirical knowledge. My narrative begins with the early years of my life as a Francophone immersed in an English neighbourhood in Montreal, grounding it in the particular experiences of my own learning and teaching. The study also includes a comparative analysis of my teaching experiences in Northern Quebec and in Japan. The journals I kept throughout my teaching assignments provide material for analysis which contributes a unique perspective to the body of literature addressing the relationship between culture, values, language and identity. I close the discussion with recommendations for the improvement of second language teaching and teacher development in intercultural contexts.