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This study draws on the ecological perspective of teacher agency to examine the manifestation of English teachers' agency toward the ongoing curriculum reform in China and the factors that impact it. This study surveyed 353 high school English teachers and then collected data from three case study participants through in-depth interviews. The findi...
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... the one-way ANOVA indicated that all groups of varied professional titles manifested significant differences (F = 4.41, p = 0.005). As seen in Table 2, the median of senior teachers' agency ranked the highest (m = 4.72), followed by associate senior teachers (m = 4.10), intermediate teachers (m = 4.09), and primary teachers (m = 3.99). This finding suggests that teachers with higher professional titles exercised more agency to implement advocated pedagogies and pioneer changes in class. ...Similar publications
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... La cultura scolastica propria di un istituto, i rapporti con colleghi e dirigenti e la leadership esercitata dalla governance giocano un ruolo fondamentale. Una cultura scolastica positiva, un clima collaborativo, un buon supporto amministrativo e una leadership solidale favoriscono un'azione proattiva e lo sviluppo di una percezione di autonomia, mentre le relazioni non propriamente positive e la mancanza di supporto possono portare a uno stile professionale passivo o resistente al coinvolgimento e all'innovazione (Harris & Jones, 2019;Jenkins, 2019;Wang, 2022). ...
Il volume presenta il lavoro di un gruppo di ricerca interno al CRESPI - Centro di ricerca educativa Interuniversitario sulla professionalità dell'insegnante - che si è posto l’obiettivo di elaborare un modello che permetta di definire indicatori di impatto per la valutazione della Ricerca-Formazione, individuare un set di strumenti e procedure atte alla rilevazione di eventuali evidenze e identificare fattori facilitanti e ostacolanti per lo svolgimento di percorsi di Ricerca-Formazione. Il capitolo si concentra sul terzo obiettivo, relativo all'individuazione dei fattori facilitanti e ostacolanti per lo svolgimento della R-F. The volume presents the work of a research group within CRESPI – the Interuniversity Educational Research Centre on Teacher Professionalism – which set out to develop a model for defining impact indicators for the evaluation of Research-Training, identifying a set of tools and procedures for detecting potential evidence, and recognising facilitating and hindering factors in the implementation of Research-Training pathways. This chapter focuses on the third objective, concerning the identification of facilitating and hindering factors in the implementation of Research-Training.
... Chinese teachers often resist these changes due to their traditional teaching practices, which pose a major problem in adopting the new curricula and also the teacher training is not enough to support them to become comfortable teaching foreign languages (Lei & Medwell, 2022). Studies reveal that teachers often adhere to conventional teaching practices to avoid risks, especially when imposed policies conflict with their beliefs, prior knowledge, and experiences (Wang, 2022;Le et al., 2020;Muzira & Bondai, 2020). The Ministry of Education's (MOE) 2018 introduction of the revised General High School English Curriculum Standards (课程标准 or xin kebiao) emphasised developing students' core competencies-language competence, cultural awareness, thinking capacity, and learning capacity. ...
... The Ministry of Education's (MOE) 2018 introduction of the revised General High School English Curriculum Standards (课程标准 or xin kebiao) emphasised developing students' core competencies-language competence, cultural awareness, thinking capacity, and learning capacity. However, the top-down, prescriptive nature of policy implementation has led to limited teacher agency as educators struggle to balance innovative reforms with the demands of exam-oriented systems and sociocultural contexts (Wang, 2022;Tao and Gao, 2021). Hence, considering these issues and the required demand to integrate foreign language teaching reforms in colleges and universities, this study has focused on understanding the issues faced by the teachers and how they could be integrated into the reformation process. ...
The research delves into the perceptions, attitudes, and resistance of teachers toward foreign language reform at the higher education levels in China, emphasising the internal and external factors responsible for the resistance. The research further indicates that multilingual proficiency is becoming increasingly prevalent because of global demands as well as China's socio-political aspirations, including initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative. The research uses qualitative methodology with semi-structured interviews with five teachers through snowball sampling. The data, thematically analysed in NVivo, reveals four major categories: perceptions and attitudes toward reforms; perceived limitations of existing efforts; internal resistance factors; and external barriers. The findings reveal scepticism regarding the relevance of reform, lack of training in practical skills, resource insufficiency, and weak collaboration as prime inhibitions. This highlights the interconnectedness of internal and external factors which underscore the need for realistic reform objectives, and strong leadership. The study suggests better planning, stakeholder collaboration, and clear communication of the benefits of reforms. Limitations are small sample size and lack of quantitative analysis leading to future research in students' perceptions and particular language needs for career development.
... Some studies within the Indonesian context have indeed researched teacher agency, but these studies only looked at teacher agency enactments after implementing some policies. This is something that scholars from diJerent contexts have also focused on (see studies by Tao &Gao, 2017 andWang, 2022 on teacher agency following curricular reform in Chinese contexts, or Tran's 2022 research that focused on teacher agency after they implemented a government-mandated curricular policy in Vietnam). Sample studies from Indonesia include a study by Yusra et al. (2021). ...
... Other researchers, like Min (2019) and Le et al. (2020), scrutinized teacher agency using Bandura's (2001; Social Cognitive Theory, which suggests the connection of agency enactment to actions. Many of the latest studies (e.g., Jiang et al., 2022;Tran, 2022;Wang, 2022) employed an ecological perspective (Biesta, Robinson, et al., 2015;Biesta & Tedder, 2007;Priestley & Drew, 2019) to understand teacher agency, a perspective that views agency as a contextual achievement rather than an inherent ability. According to Kayi-Aydar (2019), these three frameworks underline the importance of contexts or environments for achieving agency. ...
This collection is an account of the research network, and resulting research studies by various authors, that were part of the English Language Teacher Training Project, organized by World Learning, a U.S-based non-governmental organization, with funding through the U.S. Embassy’s Regional English Language Office in Jakarta, and with the support of the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs. The network had a shared research focus—to examine the experiences of English language teachers in Indonesian madrasahs and pesantren in the Project. These teachers were completing National Geographic Learning’s ELTeach Program, a suite of two on-line courses, while also receiving support and coaching from local university-based trainers. Available online: https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/worldlearning_publications/5/
... that English teachers' relations with their mentors and learners contributed to the participants' agency as providers of guidance and support. Additionally, teachers' agency was not activated by beliefs alone; other influential factors such as school culture, teachers' interactions with students, and colleagues' cooperation also influenced the teachers' perceptions as agents of change (Wang, 2022). In fact, Jiang et al. (2022) state that "agency is not isolated but is still the element that varies with social conditions" (p. ...
... For example, a study aimed to analyze two teachers' stories about their agency in a university in Colombia reported that their challenges were basically related to policies that regarded them as simple instructors of English; thus, agency encompassed not only the teaching of a language but also a way for teachers to gain the power of teaching as a possibility for social change (Quintero-Polo et al., 2022). To overcome the constraints of policies, teachers made profound agentic changes by adapting the curriculum to create a space for reflection and foster autonomy in their classes (Wang, 2022). English teachers strived against the barriers posed by language policies: "Acting based on leading principles entails putting into practice the elimination of barriers-those which emerge from linguistic and educative policies as well as those which emerge from the inequality in social conditions" (Robayo Acuña & Cárdenas, 2017, p. 134). ...
In this article, we attempt to understand English teachers’ perceptions, practices, and challenges concerning social agency through an integrative literature review to build and draw an interpretative framework and generate new knowledge. To achieve this, 58 empirical studies published in a period of seventeen years—2006 to 2023—were selected from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Results showed that English language teachers’ perceptions of agency were closely related to structural factors. Practices such as interactions with communities and humanistic approaches can make agency meaningful. Challenges in agency were more related to collective agency and reflections. In conclusion, English teachers’ agentic actions are not dampened by structural factors; on the contrary, this review confirms the potential of English educators to transform education.
... These conceptualisations, while varied, often align with an individualistic view of agency as a personal capability (Priestley, Biesta, and Robinson 2015), a viewpoint that may not fully account for external impediments to agency, such as restrictive institutional policies or resource deficits. Modern discourse has shifted towards an ecological perspective that recognises agency as a personal trait but also as a product of interactions with the environment (Eteläpelto et al. 2013;Tao and Gao 2021;Wang 2022), indicating that individuals act through their environments, not just within them (Priestley, Biesta, and Robinson 2015). ...
... This congruence contrasts with the integration issues often encountered by ITE-trained teachers (Courtney, Austin, and Zolfaghari 2023), explaining why most participants found the challenges more manageable after the initial three-month adjustment period. Structurally, while professional mentoring was absent for many, the few participants who received structured mentoring underscored its crucial role in nurturing their agency during the first year (Gaikhorst et al. 2014), echoing the vital interplay between individual agency and institutional support (Biesta and Tedder 2007;Priestley, Biesta, and Robinson 2015;Wang 2022). ...
... In the same year, a case study in Mexico conducted by Davila (2021) showed that the hindrance of teacher agency in implementing a topdown policy competency-based language teaching in a BA program is because of external educational pressure and difficulties faced by universities to adapt and follow the new rule. A study in China shows that the teachers there have positive attitudes toward curriculum change, however in practice, they experience limitations of agency (Wang, 2022). A quantitative study in Finland has shown that within the professional community, the teacher agency is achieved and that the cluster varies: high, medium, and low. ...
Teacher agency in facing new national curriculum shifts has been a topic discussed widely around the world, as many nations implement curriculum shifts and transitions. Indonesia has also in its early years implemented the new national curriculum called Freedom-to-Learn Curriculum. This study is aimed at exploring the agency of language teachers of public junior high schools in two different towns in Java Island, Indonesia. Employing the ecological approach by Priestley, Biesta, and Robinson (2015) which supported the interplay and dynamics of iterative, practical-evaluative, and projective dimensions, this qualitative study brings into play the semi-structured and focus group discussion data-gathering techniques. Six teachers participated in this study. The finding showed that the level of agency was diverse ranging from high (demonstrated by three research participants), emerging (demonstrated by one participant), and low (participated by two participants). Future researchers might examine the teacher agency by involving more participants as well as capture the robust study of language teacher agencies from other parts of Indonesia.
... Tuy nhiên, việc thực hiện những cải cách này cũng gặp nhiều thách thức lớn trong môi trường lớp học thực tế [3]. Một số nghiên cứu cũng phản ảnh việc triển khai không hiệu quả những sáng kiến cải cách chương trình giảng dạy và xu hướng không đạt được mục tiêu đề ra [4,5,6]. ...
... Kiến thức, niềm tin và quan điểm của họ rất quan trọng trong việc thực hiện cải cách một cách hiệu quả. Fullan [6] nhấn mạnh rằng sự thay đổi là một quá trình chủ quan, trong đó GV diễn giải những thay đổi mà họ gặp phải theo cách hiểu của cá nhân. Hall [10] nhận thấy thực trạng nhiều GV chưa hiểu rõ mục tiêu, cách thức tiến hành cải cách dẫn đến họ không có sự khác biệt giữa phương pháp dạy học trước đây và phương pháp dạy học được khuyến khích thực hiện trong chương trình mới. ...
... Một số khó khăn và thách thức khác đối với GV Việt Nam khi thực hiện CTPT: đánh giá đúng năng lực HS, sự quan tâm của phụ huynh [23], thiết kế giáo án, phương pháp giảng dạy và đánh giá việc học tập của học sinh, cũng như một số các nhân tố hỗ trợ khác (cơ sở vật chất, thiết bị, khối lượng công việc, sự hỗ trợ của cấp quản lí và đồng nghiệp…) [11], mục tiêu mà họ cho là quá tham vọng đối với các lớp học đại trà [29]; Tuy nhiên, khi GV nhận thức được vai trò và ý nghĩa của cải cách, tự tin với năng lực bản thân, và được hỗ trợ, cũng như chủ động thực hành trong thực tiễn lớp học, họ có xu thế chấp nhận cải cách. Những kết luận này được rút ra từ một số nghiên cứu định tính, phỏng vấn một số giới hạn GV, trên bình diện quốc tế, cũng như tại Việt Nam [9,28,6]. ...
Dựa trên lý thuyết TPB và mô hình CBAM về sự thay đổi của giáo viên (GV) đối với việc đổi mới CTPT, đồng thời có kế thừa một số nghiên cứu khác trong cùng lĩnh vực, nghiên cứu này đã xây dựng thang đo xác định các yếu tố ảnh hưởng đến hành vi của GV trung học cơ sở (THCS) trong việc triển khai chương trình giáo dục phổ thông (CTPT) 2018. 250 GV THCS đủ tính đại diện cho đặc điểm các vùng miền đã được khảo sát bằng hình thức trực tuyến. Kết quả được phân tích bằng phương trình cấu trúc đã cho thấy độ tin cậy và tính giá trị của thang đo, phù hợp với việc xác định các nhân tố tác động tới ý định hành vi thực hiện CTPT 2018 của GV THCS. Các yếu tố cơ bản tác động tới ý định hành vi của GV THCS Việt Nam sẵn sàng thực hiện CTPT 2018 là chuẩn mực chủ quan, tự chủ cá nhân, và thái độ của GV, có sự tương đồng với nghiên cứu tại một số quốc gia khác. Thông qua thảo luận và sự liên kết đến các tài liệu rộng hơn, kết quả này có thể hữu ích cho các nghiên cứu về ý định hành vi thực hiện CTPT 2018 nói riêng và đổi mới CTPT nói chung của GV phổ thông.
Abstract. Drawing on the TPB theory and the CBAM model to analyze teachers' attitudes toward innovation in curriculum development, this study has developed a scale to identify factors influencing the behavior of middle school teachers in implementing the 2018 general education program. A survey was conducted online, involving 250 middle school teachers representing diverse regional characteristics. Structural equation analysis of the results demonstrated the scale's reliability and validity, effectively identifying factors affecting teachers' behavioral intention to implement the 2018 program. The primary factors influencing the behavioral intentions of Vietnamese secondary school teachers towards the 2018 program were found to be subjective norms, personal autonomy, and teachers' attitudes, aligning with research from other countries. Additionally, by delving into broader literature and discussion, we propose that our findings can contribute to studies on behavioral intention to implement the 2018 curriculum and innovation in education more broadly, particularly for school teachers.
... Qualitative content analysis of the reflective blogs showed that the PSTs' insights around teacher agency during the course orbited around two main themes in relation to teaching English in a multilingual context: (1) willingness to use teacher agency as a tool for professional development and (2) willingness to use teacher agency as a drive to engage in critical teaching practices. Therefore, these themes suggest that, as stressed in Yang (2012) and Wang (2022), the participants' agency beliefs and personality evolved as they developed professional knowledge about the language curriculum (Goller & Harteis, 2017). ...
... It also confirms that language teacher preparation may exercise a positive influence on language teachers' understanding of teacher agency as encouraged in the literature (e.g., Eksi et al., 2019;Tao & Gao, 2017;Wang, 2022). Despite these welcoming findings and contribution to the understanding of projective teacher agency, the study is not free from limitations. ...
Framed in teacher research, this article examines on how a group of 220 preservice language teachers' understandings of teacher agency evolved in a course on second language teaching curriculum. The participants were enrolled on a master's program on teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL), and data were gathered through course activities which included two surveys, reflective blogs, and an essay. Based on inferential statistics and qualitative content analysis, findings show that, with different degrees of confidence, the student-teachers believe that their projective (future) agency was harnessed through the course developing (1) willingness to use teacher agency as a tool for professional development and (2) willingness to use teacher agency as a drive to engage in critical teaching practices for multilingual settings. Drawing on a trans-perspective of language teacher agency, the study advances a model of projective teacher agency.
... In so doing, they would be the agents of change rather than the deliverers of the curriculum, which might, in turn, foster their beliefs and attitudes regarding the curriculum change (Troudi & Alwan, 2010). Second, as teachers' professional development is crucial for the success of curriculum changes (So & Kang, 2014;Wang, 2022), teachers should be provided with sufficient professional development opportunities where their readiness for change would potentially increase with less ambiguity about the given curriculum. In addition, these professional development activities should not only focus on developing teachers' knowledge and skills, but they should also aim at developing new insights into and positive attitudes towards the new curriculum (Park & Sung, 2013). ...
The Declaration on the Construction of New liberal Arts released in 2020 put forward curriculum-based ideological and moral education, quality culture, interdisciplinary integration and mode innovation as principles for new liberal arts construction, which are later adopted as language policy support underlying Chinese Russian language teachers’ (RLTs) career development. Against this backdrop, we focused on the issue of Russian language teachers’ agency in response to the call under the guidance of the ecological theory. We applied the ecological lens to researching how RLTs interact with diverse contextual factors at different subsystems to seek their professional development. The current study explored RLTs’ agency exercise experiences through semi-structured interviews with three RLTs working in Chinese universities. The findings showed that Chinese RLTs generally held a positive attitude towards the new education policy, while their potential for mobilizing was directly associated with the contingent policy of their local institutions. What’s more, their career prospects rested upon their career planning and personality. The study provides useful insights into teacher agency for less-commonly-taught languages and the different subsystems constraining their agencies. Given the relatively small sample size involved in the study and the strong dependence on interview-based data, further study based on larger sample size and multidimensional data with adequate cross-validation is expected.
