ERIC Number: EJ1174616
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1354-0602
EISSN: N/A
Toward an Understanding of EFL Teacher Culture: An Ethnographic Study in China
Zhang, Hong; Yuan, Rui; Wang, Qiang
Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, v24 n4 p413-430 2018
Informed by an ethnographic approach, this study aims to investigate the professional culture of a group of English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in a high school in China. Relying on data gathered through extended field observation and in-depth interviews, this study seeks to uncover the distinctive characteristics of EFL teacher culture as well as its underlying influencing factors. The research findings show that the participants formed a positive work culture which evolved in tensions. Professionally, the participants' aspirations and commitments toward teaching were in tension with limited resources; institutionally, a democratic relationship was in tension with an authoritative leadership; emotionally, the teachers' emotional wellbeing was in tension with contextual constraints. The participants' co-constructed culture played a positive role in promoting their collaborative learning and continuing development, which in turn contributed to their teacher culture.
Descriptors: English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Ethnography, Language Teachers, Secondary School Teachers, Observation, Teacher Attitudes, Educational Resources, Well Being, Administrative Organization, Authoritarianism, Cooperative Learning, Faculty Development, Organizational Culture, Foreign Countries, Teacher Characteristics, Semi Structured Interviews, Qualitative Research
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A