Intersections of language teacher reflection, emotion, and identity construction: an activity theory perspective

Drawing on activity theory and qualitative data from eight Iranian English language teachers, this study explored the effects of the sociocultural context of teaching on teachers' subjectivities, the role of institutional rules in their reflection-emotion-identity work, their tools for navigating professional practices, the expectations and communities shaping their practical skills, and the distribution of labour among community members. Data analyses revealed four major themes: (1) lesson plan as an emotional resource for reflection, (2) institutional affordances for reflectivity and emotionality, (3) emotion regulation as a goal-oriented reflective process, and (4) institutional policies hampering teachers' reflection-oriented emotion work. The findings suggest that the complex interplay between reflection and emotion transcends their mutual influences and is defined by how mediational processes such as affordances, goals, policies, and agency shape teachers' identities. We offer implications for pre-/in-service teacher education courses regarding how to leverage reflection and emotion to help teachers construct their identities effectively.