The Research for Development of Professional Identities of High School English Teachers

Abstract Nowadays, due to the social convert of study on foreign language teachers, researches on English teachers’ professional identities has been an increasingly hot topic in the field of foreign language teachers’education。。 However, qualitative researches have far outnumbered quantitative ones on this project, and even fewer that has been aimed at high school English teachers in China。 90071

Therefore, based on social cultural theory and teachers’ professional identity theory, this paper tries to analyze major situations of high school English teachers of mixed ages (1960s, 1970s and 1980s), also main factors and challenges which they have been faced with in their professional development。 The research method adopted here are both qualitative analysis combined with quantitative one, specifically, by conducting a questionnaire survey targeting English teachers from thirteen high schools in Zhejiang province, and interviewing three particular English teachers from three generations 。 

Based on previous relevant findings, this paper has made clear definitionsabout ‘identity’, ‘English teachers’ professional identities’(ETPI hereafter) and ‘English teachers’ professional identities in high school’。 Besides, this paper has framed the multidimensional theoretical structure of ETPI in high school with four dimensions referring to eight essential factors。 

As a result, through overall analysis on data from those questionnaires and interviews, conclusions can be drawn that the general level of ETPI remains relatively high, though most high school English teachers have been challenged with various identity crisis to different extent。 On top of that, there is a positive link between English teachers’professional identities and their professional development, between which organization sense of support has been playing an intermediary role。 The research also discovered a significant difference among English teachers with mixed ages (p<0。05), withteachers from 1970s being in the lowest condition in comparison with those from 1960s and 1980s。 

Keywords: ProfessionalIdentity; Professional Development; Language Teaching; Professional Identity Construction; High School English Teacher Education 

Contents

1。 Introduction 1

2。 Background 2

2。1 The concept of identity 2

2。2 The concept of ETPI 2

2。3      The structure and definition of 源Q于W优E尔A论S文R网wwW.yOueRw.com 原文+QQ75201,8766 ETPI of high school 4

2。4 The features of ETPI 5

2。5 The influencing factors of ETPI 5

2。6 The effects of TPI 6

2。7 Stages of TPD 6

2。8 The effective factors of TPD 7

2。9 The present findings 8

3。 Research design 8

3。1 research method 8

3。1。1