ERIC Number: EJ1397162
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2395-9908
Available Date: N/A
Scrutinizing the Professional Agency of EFL Teachers: Identifying the Contributors and Manifestations
Royaei, Nahid; Ghonsooly, Behzad; Ghapanchi, Zargham; Ahanchian, Mohammad Reza
MEXTESOL Journal, v47 n2 2023
In today's educational system, teachers are highly accountable for implementing policy-driven changes in student learning and the development of the quality of educational institutions. The present study aimed to expand this research area by investigating the contributors as well as the manifestations of teachers' professional agency. To this aim, first, ten EFL teachers were selected based on convenience sampling from ten high schools from Mashhad, Iran. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The researchers recorded, transcribed, and analyzed interview data. Regarding the contributors to EFL teachers' professional agency, the participants' responses were classified into three main groups, including authority-related factors, teacher-related factors, and learner-related factors; each group is composed of two or more sub-factors. Concerning authority-related factors, the participants' responses indicated that the principal's trust and support played important roles in extending the teachers' professional agency. Respecting teacher-related factors, teachers' experience of pre-service education in line with their professional competencies and motivational attributes (motivation, goal orientation) were found significant in constructing professional agency. Regarding learner-related factors, learners' willingness toward teachers' innovative activities was highlighted in shaping teachers' professional agency. Moreover, the results proved that professional agency was manifested mainly at three levels, namely curriculum designing, school level, and classroom level. Finally, implications were provided in the realm of teacher education and teacher practitioners.
Descriptors: Professional Autonomy, Language Teachers, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Classification, High School Teachers, Foreign Countries, Teacher Attitudes, Principals, Trust (Psychology), Teacher Administrator Relationship, Preservice Teacher Education, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Teacher Student Relationship, Teacher Motivation
MEXTESOL Journal. Bernardo Couto 48, Col. Cuauhtemoc, Alcadía Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de Mexico, 06880, Mexico. Tel: +55-55-66-87-49; e-mail: mextesoljournal@gmail.com; Web site: http://www.mextesol.net/journal/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Iran
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A