Becoming a teacher: The identity construction experiences of beginning English language teachers in Hong Kong

Becoming a teacher: The identity construction experiences of beginning English language teachers in Hong Kong

• Trent, John Dept. of English, Hong Kong Institute of Education

Australian Educational Researcher, 39(3), 363-383, 2012

Australian Association for Research in Education

2012

• M Teachers & Education for Teachers
  • MF Characteristics & Conditions of Educational Workers
• G Curriculum, Teaching & Learning: Specific Disciplines
  • GB English Language

English (Second Language) Secondary School Teachers Beginning Teachers Teacher Identity Discourse Analysis

• Hong Kong

• 1997.7 onwards

• Secondary Education

• View Full Text 全文連結

Debate over educational reform in many countries has addressed the question of how to attract and retain teachers. As part of a multiple case study that includes eight beginning English language teachers in Hong Kong, this article offers an in-depth analysis of the experiences of two participants, Christine and Samuel, during their initial year of full time teaching in Hong Kong schools. The data, collected during an entire academic year, suggests that Christine used her experiences of becoming a teacher to justify and reaffirm her determination to pursue a career within English language teaching. In contrast, Samuel's preliminary year of full-time teaching culminated in his decision to leave the teaching profession. A contribution of this study is to explore these very different experiences and outcomes using a framework of teacher identity construction. From this perspective, findings suggest that the participants' engagement in the practices and activities of teaching, their relations with colleagues, and their positioning within different discourses of teaching and learning by their schools as well as by the wider educational environment, shaped their decisions about whether to continue to pursue a teaching career. Implications for attracting and retaining teachers, as well as for future research, are discussed.
[Copyright of Australian Educational Researcher is the property of Australian Association for Research in Education. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13384-012-0067-7]

Refereed article

• English

Journal Articles

• 03116999

• 10.1007/s13384-012-0067-7

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/en/bibs/21691142

2014-06-24