“To prosper you must be willing to pivot”: The career construction journeys of language teacher educators in Hong Kong
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Considering the essential role of language teacher educators in shaping the views and practices of future generations of language teachers, the limited attention that has been given to how these educators construct their professional identities is surprising. This article reports the results of a qualitative study that contributes to addressing this gap in knowledge by exploring how three experienced language teacher educators construct their professional identities in Hong Kong. Drawing upon elements of career construction theory, the study used in‐depth interviews to investigate the responses of these educators to the complex and challenging demands they encounter in research, teaching, and institutional service throughout the pursuit of their professional identities construction goals. Results suggest that the three educators value career adaption and operationalize adaptability as the willingness to both constrain their concerns and accept the necessity for compromises and trade‐offs. Implications for leaders of higher education institutions concerned with supporting language teacher educators' identities construction are discussed. Suggestions for future research are also considered.
Source: TESOL Journal
DOI: 10.1002/tesj.874
Author: John Trent
Institution: Education University of Hong Kong
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4402417255