Understanding EFL Instructor Identity Changes During Online Teaching in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study in China

RELC Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 003368822110666
Author(s):  
Kaihao Yuan ◽  
Shuwen Liu
Keyword(s):  
Identity Development ◽  
Teacher Identity ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
Social Representation Theory ◽  
Identity Changes ◽  
First Time

The outbreak of COVID-19 witnesses a sudden surge of fully online classes globally. Scholarly attention has promptly shifted to explore the personal experiences and perceived challenges of students and teachers. For English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instructors around the world, many are required to teach online for the first time, yet studies on their teacher identity development in online teaching contexts remain limited. To address this gap, the researchers conducted a case study of three EFL instructors in a Chinese university within an online semester to understand how their online teacher identities developed and shifted. The concepts of ‘imagined and practiced identity’ and social representation theory have been adopted as the conceptual framework. The findings revealed the trajectories of three online EFL instructors as their imagined identities evolved and renegotiated into their practiced ones based on individual and contextual factors. The findings reveal a lack of rule-based identities from the participants and highlight the need for pedagogical and psychological support for EFL teachers when they transition to an online context. Recommendations are made accordingly.

Developing Technology-Centric Best Teaching Practices for Higher Education

2017 ◽  
pp. 159-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas M. Brinthaupt ◽  
Lawanna S. Fisher ◽  
Justin G. Gardner ◽  
Deana M. Raffo
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Conditional Release ◽  
Online Teachers ◽  
Online Course Development

In this chapter, the authors present a case study that describes their experiences in identifying and addressing technology-related challenges in higher education. Based on their experiences, they illustrate how higher education institutions can foster and cultivate faculty expertise and skills in order to enhance their online course development programs and improve the quality of courses and the success of students. The authors' work has focused on the following topics: best practices for online teachers, best practices for and the effects of using conditional release in online classes, and strategies for balancing online teaching activities. All of this work takes a technology-centric perspective on online learning in higher education. Using these domains as examples, the authors describe how administrators can encourage faculty cooperation and collaboration as their institutions implement effective technology-centric strategies.

scholarly journals Between Social and Semantic Networks: A Case Study on Classroom Complexity

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernani Rodrigues ◽  
Maurício Pietrocola
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Semantic Networks ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Network Approach ◽  
Network Analyses ◽  
Social Representation Theory ◽  
High School Classroom ◽  
Interpersonal Ties ◽  
Interpersonal Domain

Classrooms are complex in their real sets. To understand such sets and their emergent patterns, network approach provides useful theoretical and methodological tools. In this work, we used network approach to explore two domains of complexity in a classroom: the interpersonal domain, via social networks; and the representational domain, through collective semantic networks. This work is grounded in both Social Network Analyses and Social Representation Theory for gathering information from interpersonal and representational domains. We investigated a physics high school classroom by proceeding sociometric tests and by using words freely evoked by students to explore relations between students’ dyad’s weights, in social networks, and emerging consensus in semantic networks. Our findings showed closer relations between social ties’ weight and consensus formed on intra-school representational objects, while consensus on extra-school representational objects is less dependent on the classroom interpersonal ties’ strength.

scholarly journals Understanding Identity and Context in the Development of Gay Teacher Identity: Perceptions and Realities in Teacher Education and Teaching

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 145
Author(s):  
Zaid Haddad
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Teacher Identity ◽  
Limiting Factor ◽  
School Contexts ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Relational Justice ◽  
Identity Based ◽  
Gay Teachers

The way a teacher perceives relational justice—the feeling of being treated equitably and being included—in their work context is central to understanding the negotiation and enactment of teacher identity. For LGBTQ teachers, the degree to which they are out of the closet with their students and colleagues leads to many possible outcomes. These outcomes, ranging from feeling like they need to live duplicitous lives to being activist teachers that subvert the heteronormative assumptions in schools and curricula, are studied here by examining the identity development of a group of gay teachers and their perceptions of the schools in which they work. This article is based on a dissertation study that theorized that the heteronormative nature of teacher education is a limiting factor for gay teachers’ abilities to work and thrive in school contexts. The study included in depth case studies of four gay teachers and their journeys as gay men and teachers. The goal of the study was to answer the question: Does the enactment of gay teacher identity interrupt heteronormativity in schools? The study also sought to answer two ancillary questions: (1) How do gay teachers negotiate gay teacher identity in schools? and, (2) How do school contexts impact gay teachers’ perceptions of identity-based motivation and relational justice? This article will focus on Peter Ryan’s (pseudonym) case study, specifically because of its emblematic nature in summarizing the intent and implications of the overall study.

scholarly journals A drama of selves: Investigating teacher identity development from dialogical and complexity perspectives

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alastair Henry
Keyword(s):  
Identity Development ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Teacher Identity ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Personal Data ◽  
Dialogical Self ◽  
Language Teacher Identity ◽  
Identity System

Identity is of increasing interest in teacher education. Crucial for resilience, the development of a coherent professional identity has been characterized as emerging from tensions between multiple and sometimes conflicting conceptions of what it means to be someone who teaches (Akkerman & Meijer, 2011). While light is being shed on these often antagonistic relations, less is known about the dynamics of identity formation and transformation. Providing a contribution to work on language teacher identity, in this single case study Hermans’ (2008) concept of the dialogical self is combined with complexity principles in an investigation of changes in the emerging professional identity of a pre-service English teacher during a practicum. Drawing on intra- and inter-personal data, experiences of learning to become a person who teaches English are conceptualized as a drama that is played out between different and sometimes unaligned selves. Analyses show how this inner drama maps onto the landscape of an emerging teacher identity, how tensions can be understood systemically, and how a teacher identity system can have a signature dynamic.

scholarly journals DESCRIBING A SYSTEMATIC REFLECTION FOR PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY: A CASE STUDY

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-145
Author(s):  
Anastasia Nelladia Cendra ◽  
Markus Budiraharjo
Keyword(s):  
Identity Development ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Teacher Identity ◽  
English Language ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Multiple Data ◽  
Preparation Phase ◽  
Two Phases

To fill the gap and add literature on systematic reflections in the area of teacher identity developments, this research, which is a part of a larger case study, described how reflection class followed by pre-service teachers of English language in a teacher development program in Indonesia (PPG Pra-jabatan) was conducted. Using a single case study with embedded design and multiple data sources (observations, interviews, and document analysis), this research found that in its effort to help pre-service teachers’ identity development, the reflection class followed a certain procedure that comprises of two phases (i.e. reflection phase and publication preparation phase). In addition, this research also found some protocols that were adhered by the reflection class (i.e. involving social reflection, providing a safe and secure learning environment, feedback provision to the reflections, and giving appropriate prompts). This research recommends the teacher education and teacher professional development programs give more attention to how reflection is conducted. In particular, it is suggested that some protocols of conducting a good reflection are considered so that the pre-service teachers can make the most of the reflective activities.

Online Course Activities

2013 ◽  
pp. 303-321
Author(s):  
Melanie Shaw ◽  
Kelley Walters ◽  
Todd Kane ◽  
David Long
Keyword(s):  
Management System ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Research Data ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Online Classroom ◽  
Level Of Education

In this case study research, data were gathered from faculty and students who have online teaching or learning experience to determine the types of assignments, activities, and assessments that are used in the online classroom. Both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered on diverse facets of the online classroom experience from level of education, to field of study, and Learning Management System experience. This study filled a gap in the literature of types of course activities required in online classes. This case study includes details about assignments, assessments, activities, discussions, and live sessions that instructors can use in the development of online classes.

scholarly journals "Do all roads lead to Rome?": The influence of two different higher education programmes on beginner teacher identity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mické van der Westhuizen ◽  
Yolandi Woest
Keyword(s):  
Identity Development ◽  
Teacher Identity ◽  
Possible Selves ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Possible Selves Theory ◽  
Beginner Teachers ◽  
Inductive Thematic Analysis

In this qualitative case study, we explored the experiences of beginner teachers who chose two different routes-full-time and part-time studying-on the journey to becoming teachers and we report on the influences of this choice on their emergent beginner teacher identities. We purposefully selected two groups of participants, each consisting of three who studied full-time and three who studied part-time. The latter worked part-time at schools or in similar educational contexts while they were studying. Epistemologically underpinned by the interpretivist paradigm, we employed the Possible Selves theory (Marcus & Nurius, 1986) as the theoretical lens. Inductive thematic analysis of data demonstrated three main themes. First, data showed a distinct divergence between the perceptions of initial beginner teacher identity states in the two groups of participants. Second, both groups of participants agreed that time is a significant factor in the complex psychological processes required for the construction of a beginner teacher identity. Third, both groups strongly considered practical experience as an essential factor for beginner teacher identity development.

scholarly journals “We were at this crossroads”

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Clifford Pedersen
Keyword(s):  
Representation Theory ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Faroe Islands ◽  
Psychological Perspective ◽  
Alternative Representation ◽  
Social Representation Theory

People and societies are guided by what they imagine to lie beyond the present, by what can and should be the case in the future. Yet people do not always agree about the form, content or path to realisation of a given imagined future. As a result, conflicts can arise over something that does not exist yet. In this paper, I propose to integrate theories of social and alternative representations with a sociocultural psychological interpretation of imagination, in order to explore the addressivity of futures and to call for more studies that explicitly take into account the future’s role in the present. I draw on a dialogical case study that was carried out on the Faroe Islands, more precisely on the island of Suðuroy. Whereas the Faroe Islands are experiencing a rapid acceleration in growth, Suðuroy has failed to keep pace and has witnessed decades of emigration and a worsening of its population’s relative socio-economic situation. Islanders liken the current situation to standing at a crossroads, while being unable to agree on which path must be taken in order to reinvigorate a shrinking future. By analysing how one of the two major social representations constructs the other – its alternative representation – I suggest that the absence of transformative dialogue results from incompatible futures. Furthermore, in line with a sociocultural psychological perspective, I also attempt to move beyond the homogenising force inherent in social representation theory by introducing Ingolf and Karin, whose stories illustrate how social and alternative representations are not uniformly shared and enacted, but take different forms in light of unique life experiences.

scholarly journals A case study on the perspectives of University of Santo Tomas pharmacy professors on the influence of online classes in pharmacy education

2021 ◽  
pp. 759-770
Author(s):  
Heidus Renzo G. Palomares ◽  
Precious Pauline M. Pantoja ◽  
Kristefanie E. Pascua ◽  
Alyanna Lou D. Pfleider ◽  
Andrea Nicole T. Polintan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Pharmacy Education ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
The University ◽  
Virtual Mode

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the academic environment into distance learning. In the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Faculty of Pharmacy, an Enriched Virtual Mode of Learning was used to deliver the online teaching and learning process. This study aimed to determine the influences that online learning had on the standard of pharmacy education. Methods: A qualitative case study research design was utilised and gathered the perspectives of eight UST pharmacy professors. Results: During thematic analysis, several themes were identified which were rooted in the ten key components of online learning. Conclusions: The study concluded that online learning had more negative influences than positive influences on pharmacy education. Regarding pharmacy courses, the Quality Control, Microbiology, and Public Health clusters were identified as the most difficult to teach online while the Biochemistry and Pharmacognosy clusters were the least. Recommended adjustments to improve learning outcomes focused on enhanced review methods during the course audit.

Student Teacher Ecological Self in the Context of Education for Sustainable Development: A Longitudinal Case Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rea Raus
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Teacher Identity ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Critical Importance ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Formal Curriculum ◽  
Ecological Self

In the context of teacher education (TE) for sustainable development (SD), questions related to a teacher’s values, worldview and identity present a particular interest and are of critical importance. In the present article, student–teachers’ understanding of Teacher self and nature is focused on through discussions of personal and professional settings. The perceived curriculum, that is, reflection on a formal curriculum of a particular TE programme, is discussed to investigate how existing TE curriculum supports the development of the ecological, holistic self of a future teacher. The longitudinal study of 9 student teachers attempts to illuminate the process of the development of their ecological self during the first 4 years of studies in a particular initial TE programme. Although literature stresses the need to begin TE with investigating teacher identity, the results show that according to student teachers’ opinions, the particular TE curriculum does not address the notion of teacher identity in a focused manner, and more prominently, it does not address teacher identity development in the context of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).

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