VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ĐINH THỊ PHƯƠNG THANH EFL TEACHERS’ CONSTRUCTION OF PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY: A CASE STUDY AT A POLICE SCHOOL IN VIETNAM (Kiến tạo nhân diện nghề nghiệp của giáo viên giảng dạy tiếng Anh như một ngoại ngữ: Nghiên cứu trường hợp điển hình tại một trường cảnh sát ở Việt Nam) Major: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 9140231.01 DOCTORAL THESIS: ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING METHODOLOGY HA NOI, 2023 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ĐINH THỊ PHƯƠNG THANH EFL TEACHERS’ CONSTRUCTION OF PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY: A CASE STUDY AT A POLICE SCHOOL IN VIETNAM (Kiến tạo nhân diện nghề nghiệp của giáo viên giảng dạy tiếng Anh như một ngoại ngữ: Nghiên cứu trường hợp điển hình tại một trường cảnh sát ở Việt Nam) Major: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 9140231.01 DOCTORAL THESIS: ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING METHODOLOGY Supervisors : 1. Nguyen Thuy Nga 2. Huynh Anh Tuan HA NOI, 2023 THESIS DECLARATION I certify that this is completely my own work, which has been done after registering for a PhD degree at the University of Languages and International Studies under Vietnam National University, Hanoi. The work has not been previously submitted, in whole or in part, in any previous application for a degree.
Signature of the candidate: Date: 4.2023 Đinh Thị Phương Thanh i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I would like to express my heartiest gratitude to Assoc. Nguyen Thuy Nga and Dr. Huynh Anh Tuan, my beloved supervisors for their roles and expertise in directly guiding and inspiring me throughout the research process, from the initial proposal to the final report. Their professional guidance (evaluable comments, critical feedback), endless support, spiritual words of encouragement motivate me to overcome the difficulties of my PhD journey with effort, determination and enjoyment.
Next, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all the staff members of the Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies-University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, for their technical and administrative support on my study. Also, I am greatly honored to convey my best thanks to the professors, experts, and examiners of the Thesis Examination Board at all levels for their comments, reviews, and instructions. It gives me the confidence and commitment to finish my PhD thesis. I would also like to thank to all of my research participants who are really enthusiastic about supporting me of yielding sufficient data for my PhD thesis.
I highly appreciate their willingness to share their voices, thoughts and stories as well as rich face-to-face conversations. Without their valuable help, I would not have succeeded in completing my PhD thesis. Also, I would like to thank my leaders and colleagues of the People’s Police Academy for their valuable cooperation and assistance in conducting this research. I could not have accomplished my PhD thesis without their great support.
The very special words of thanks need to be addressed to my beloved family members, including my parents, my brother, my husband and my lovely sons, who have supported all the choices I have made. I would never have gone this far without their unconditional sacrifice and love. Also, I would like to express my great gratitude to my PhD friends who have always shared precious experiences and sources with me. Without their encouragement and support from my beloved family and my PhD friends, I would not have made it to the destination of my PhD journey.
ii Finally, this is a study on an issue that is increasingly being applied to the fields of teacher education and teacher development to enhance teachers' credentials, expertise, and skills. While I attempted to concentrate on and integrate a variety of theories and practices, and personal experiences, shortcomings cannot be avoided. Therefore, I hope to receive constructive feedback from teachers and readers for my improvement. I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for that.
iii TABLE OF CONTENTS THESIS DECLARATION .ii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. viii LIST OF TABLES. ix LIST OF FIGURES. Rationale of the study.
Statement of the problem. Aims and objectives. Scope of the study. Significance of the study.
Structure of the study. 7 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW. Identity and identity-related issues. Teacher identity and language teacher identity.
Teacher professional identity. Factors influencing teacher professional identity (re)construction and (re)negotiation. Theoretical foundation in teacher identity studies. An overview of theoretical frameworks in teacher identity studies.
Critique of theoretical frameworks. 65 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY. Theoretical framework of the study. Data collection tools.
Guided reflective writings. Semi-structured interviews. 97 CHAPTER 4: TEACHER PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AS PROCESS. The process of becoming.
Having prior teaching considerations. Having training perceptions: Learning to teach. Having prior teaching perceptions. The process of being.
Having current teaching perceptions. Gaining teacher knowledge. Having teaching-related aspects. Having future professional goals.
Teacher professional identity as process (case-by-case). 158 CHAPTER 5: TEACHER PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AS PRODUCT. Teacher professional identity as product (the cases agglomerated). Developing a clear awareness of school disciplines and policies.
Developing self-awareness and self-knowledge. Taking over numerous roles. Showing the feelings of unsuitability for scientific research. Teacher professional identity as product (case-by-case).
Case One: Teacher 1’s professional identity as product. Case Two: Teacher 2’s professional identity as product. Case Three: Teacher 3’s professional identity as product. 206 FACTORS INFLUENCING TEACHER PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY.
Teacher professional identity through Wenger’s modes of belonging. Statement of the findings. Summary of the findings. Suggestions for further research.
264 LIST OF PUBLISHED STUDIES. I vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ULIS University of Languages and International Studies NEU National Economics University T1 Teacher 1 T2 Teacher 2 T3 Teacher 3 GRW Guided Reflective Writing EFL English as a Foreign Language ESP English for Specific Purposes IELTS International English Language Testing System VSTEP Vietnamese Standardized Test of English Proficiency IT Information Technology US United States ICT Information and Communication Technology vii ABSTRACT In recent years, the theme of teacher professional identity has gained prominence in applied linguistics research (Beauchamp and Thomas, 2009; Beijaard, Meijer, and Verloop, 2004; Olsen, 2008, 2010; Wenger, 1998). This study is aimed to investigate how the EFL university teachers (re)construct and (re)negotiate their professional identity and analyze factors significantly influence such (re)construction and (re)negotiation. Identity in this thesis’s research development is the professional identity perceived by the self that means who the participating teachers think they are.
The participants include three Vietnamese female university teachers (a novice teacher, an experienced teacher and an expert teacher) who have taught English at the same police school. The theoretical framework of this study is adapted from Olsen’s (2008, 2016) and Wenger’s (1998) frameworks. The instruments comprise guided reflective writings, semi-structured interviews, and classroom observations. The findings showed the EFL university teachers’ (re)construction and (re)negotiation of professional identity as process (the reconciliation of the personal and professional sides becoming and being a teacher; the acquisition of knowledge sources and competencies; the sense of social roles and positions; the struggles for alterations and adjustments, like teaching methods/strategies, working conditions or job requirements; agency, power, investment).
Also, the EFL university teachers’ professional identity as product (the cases agglomerated) is recognized as developing a clear awareness of school disciplines and policies, taking over numerous roles, developing self-awareness and self-knowledge, and showing the feelings of unsuitability for scientific research. Meanwhile, their professional identity as product (case-by-case) is manifested by T1 (being a novice EFL university teacher, being an “inactive” teacher, and being a teacher with dependence proneness and inferiority feelings), T2 (being an experienced EFL university teacher; being a serious and outspoken, but a sociable teacher; and being a self-reliant and determined teacher) and T3 (being an expert EFL university teacher, being an enthusiastic and modern teacher, and being a teacher with leadership styles). In addition, the factors significantly influencing such (re)construction and (re)negotiation involved the external factors (family, neighborhood, school culture, influential teachers, knowledge sources) and the internal factors (self, investment). The findings suggests that it can contribute to helping teachers produce more insights into their professional identity and providing a reference source for stakeholders in education towards the making of immediate or future plans for language teacher education and development.
Besides, the findings can be beneficial to recommending suggestions for further research into identity-related themes to researchers. viii LIST OF TABLES Table 2. 16 Definitions of Teacher Identity. 68 The Philosophical Worldview.
81 A guidance worksheet on guided reflective writings. 84 An Interview Protocol. 85 Interview Schedules for Teachers. 87 A Brief Account of Classroom Observations.
89 The Procedures for Data Analysis. 90 Sample of the Note-taking Process. 91 Sample of the Initial Coding Process. 92 Sample of the Identification of Potential Themes.
101 Having Prior Teaching Considerations. 115 Having Training Perceptions: Learning to Teach. 127 Having Prior Teaching Perceptions. 141 Having Current Teaching Perceptions.
161 Professional Identity as Product (the cases agglomerated). 223 Internal Factors: Self. 239 An Overview of Transition Periods of Teacher Professional Identity. 239 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.
33 Engeström’s Expended Activity Theory Model. 37 The Formation and Mediation of Teacher Professional Identity. 38 Diagram of Teacher Identity as Dynamic, Holistic Interaction among Multiple Parts. 38 Diagram of Teacher Identity.
45 Social Ecology of Identity. 47 Modes of Belonging. 69 Teacher Professional Identity Model. 80 Data Collection Tools.
89 Diagram of Analytical Procedures. 100 Teacher Professional Identity as Process. 160 Teacher Professional Identity as Product. 161 Teacher Professional Identity as Product (the cases agglomerated).
178 Teacher Professional Identity as Product (case-by-case). 178 Teacher 1’s Professional Identity as Product. 185 Teacher 2’s Professional Identity as Product. 195 Teacher 3’s Professional Identity as Product.
207 Concentric Circles Chart of Influencing Factors. 238 Transition Periods of Teacher Professional Identity. Rationale of the study In the globalization era, English as an international language plays an important role in national development in general and educational development in particular. For the awareness of its importance, the Vietnamese Government has given closer guidance on nationwide popularization of English teaching and learning towards the possession of human resources of all educational levels with a good command of foreign language and the turning of foreign languages into a strength of Vietnamese to serve national industrialization and modernization (Decree 1400, 2008).
This is to say, one of the most decisive components is, therefore, to possess a resource of highly qualified and experienced EFL university teachers. In order to understand language teaching and learning, we need to understand teachers; and in order to understand teachers, we need to have a clearer sense of who they are (Varghese, Morgan, Johnson, and Johnson, 2005). In recent years, the emerging subject in a remarkable strand of applied linguistics research that has attracted the attention of a contingent of academic education researchers and scholars is the theme of teacher identity (Clarke, 2008; Dang, 2013; Duff and Uchida, 1997; Kanno and Stuart, 2011; Knowles, 1992; Morgan, 2004; Pavlenko, 2003; Pennington and Richards, 2016; Trent, 2017; Volkmann and Anderson, 1998; Yazan, 2018;). Currently, a great deal of research interest in teacher identity is centered upon the study of teacher professional identity from different perspectives (Beijaard, Meijer and Verloop (2004); Beijarrd, Verloop and Vermunt, 2000; Harun, 2019; Jiang, 2017; Kelchtermans, 1993; Le, 2013; Tickle, 2000).
Despite their different opinions, many researchers agree that professional identity as an ongoing process is characterized by the multidimensional or multifaceted nature. Likewise, I am also concerned with the study of teacher identity-related aspects (e., professional identity, personal identity or moral identity) that stimulates my thinking on the performance of the research like this.