Exploring Teachers' Professional Agency: A Narrative Inquiry of a National Award-Winning Language Teacher in China

• In Event: Experiences Shaped in Languages

Abstract

While teachers’ professional agency has been widely examined in the past decades, the relation between teacher agency and classroom effectiveness is under-explored. This narrative inquiry centers on one national teaching contest champion’s (Qin) enactment of professional agency by linking Qin’s professional learning with pedagogical innovations. Through the lens of Craig's (1995) narrative conceptualization of teacher knowledge communities, the study delineated three ways in which Qin constructed personal practical knowledge in four divergent learning communities. Findings revealed the complex interplay among teachers’ professional agency, identity, and emotions in community settings. The paper concludes with implications for continuous professional development activities.

Authors

• Zhan Li, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law

• Ge Wang, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law