Startseite “I Cannot Dance Upon My Toes”: A Case Study Into Teacher Learning Through Participating in an English Teaching Contest in China
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“I Cannot Dance Upon My Toes”: A Case Study Into Teacher Learning Through Participating in an English Teaching Contest in China

  • Xu Yueting

    Xu Yueting is an associate professor at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in China. She obtained her Ph.D. degree from The University of Hong Kong in 2017. Her research interests include teacher assessment literacy, classroom assessment, teacher learning, teacher identity, and teacher emotion.

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Veröffentlicht/Copyright: 7. Dezember 2017
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Abstract

The professional development of College English (CE) teachers in China has received considerable attention due to their responsibility in preparing university graduates for adequate English proficiency. Many continuous professional development (CPD) activities have been conducted (e.g., national teaching contest) to improve CE teachers’ teaching effectiveness, an essential component of teacher learning. However, it has remained unknown concerning how teacher learning takes place in these well-intended CPD activities, and what mediating factors play an important role in teacher learning. To address this gap, this case study reports on a CE teacher’s (Janna, pseudonym) experience in preparing for and participating in an English teaching contest. Drawing upon multiple sets of data such as teacher reflective journals, interviews, observations of group discussions, and video-recorded teaching demonstration and lesson plan presentation, the findings reveal that teacher learning takes place at a superficial level through legitimate peripheral participation, yet at a deeper level through identity crisis. Vulnerable teacher learning is also identified in the CPD activity, with differentiated learning possibilities created by the tensions between resources and power relations within the community and the teacher’s conceptions of teaching and learning. The study concludes with implications for research of teacher learning and practice for teacher professional development.

About the author

Xu Yueting

Xu Yueting is an associate professor at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in China. She obtained her Ph.D. degree from The University of Hong Kong in 2017. Her research interests include teacher assessment literacy, classroom assessment, teacher learning, teacher identity, and teacher emotion.

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge the contribution of anonymous reviewers for their insightful feedback on earlier drafts of this article. Special thanks go to Dr. Huang Jing and other editors of Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics for their diligent work.

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Published Online: 2017-12-7
Published in Print: 2017-11-27

© 2017 FLTRP, Walter de Gruyter, Cultural and Education Section British Embassy

Heruntergeladen am 20.11.2025 von https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/cjal-2017-0021/html
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