Work

A narrative inquiry into the agency of an EFL teacher in Western China

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: Despite the increasing interest in teacher agency in the field of language teacher psychology, little attention has been paid to how language teachers enact their agency in an under-resourced environment. To address the research gap, this narrative study explored how a secondary English as a foreign language teacher in Western China enacted his agency for professional development and identified its sources. The findings revealed that this teacher enacted his agency through passionate exploration of adaptive teaching and continuous investment in autonomous learning. His agency was attributed to the interplay of his past experiences, long-term goals, teaching beliefs, and the challenging working environment. Consequently, implications for teacher agency research and practice are discussed.

Source: Frontiers in Psychology

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.957372

Authors: Haibo Gu, Yulian Liang, Qian Wang

Institutions: Xinjiang Normal University, Soochow University, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Language: English

Topic: EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning

Subfield: Language and Linguistics

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,950