Authors

Feng Ding, Faculty of English Language and Culture, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies， ChinaFollow
Rui Eric Yuan, Faculty of Education, University of Macau, China
Fiona Curtis, Institute of Education, University of Reading, Reading, UK

University English Teachers’ Professional Development Through Academic Visits: Using Identity as a Theoretical Lens

Abstract

Academic visitor programs aim to enhance university teachers’ teaching and research capacity and intercultural competence. Its impact, however, has remained under-researched. Using the data collected from two rounds of in-depth interviews with 13 Chinese university English teachers over a year and a half, this study explored their experiences as academic visitors in the UK through the lens of professional identity. Findings revealed that the participants came with various expectations and negotiated and constructed different identities during their academic visits. The participants’ developing identities in turn affected their investment in their professional development in their situated contexts. The study provides important implications for academic visit programs which need to be designed in line with the complex needs and identities of university teachers.

Was this research funded?

Yes, research was funded

Recommended Citation

Ding, F., Yuan, R., & Curtis, F. (2022). University English Teachers’ Professional Development Through Academic Visits: Using Identity as a Theoretical Lens. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 47(3). https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2022v47n3.1