A Study On Novice English Teachers' Professonal Identity In Chinese Local Colleges

Today's globalization,especially under the Belt and Road Initiative,has made English teaching for non-English majors in universities and colleges one of the keys to the improvement of the quality of higher education and the cultivation of international talents.The qualities of colleges English teachers have become more crucial than ever.How to improve English teachers' sense of belongingness and achievement in local colleges,thus the professional identity,so as to promote their professional development and improve the quality of English teaching is an important issue now we are facing.Relevant literature review finds that studies on teachers' professional identity are concerned about the influencing factors of a certain group of teachers' professional identity,or about the similarities and differences of different groups of teachers' professional identity from a comparative perspective,or about only one aspect of teachers' professional identity,or only a simple quantitative or qualitative study.Few studies are conducted to make a full description and analysis of a large number of English teachers,especially novice teachers,in Chinese local colleges using multiple methods from multiple theoretical perspectives,which neglect to some extent the research on the improving paths of professional learning and professional identity of this group of teachers.This study constructs a theoretical model of English teachers' professional identity by referring to the theory of community of practice(COP),sociocultural theory and the concept of reflective practice.Teachers' professional identity is the process of teachers' learning,which is continuous interaction and communication between teachers and other important people in various learning situations provided by the community of practice in professional life and personal life.The research questions are(1)What is the status quo of novice English teachers' professional identity?(2)What are the influencing factors of novice English teachers' professional identity?(3)What are the approaches to improving novice English teachers' professional identity?This study adopts quantitative and qualitative research methods to explore the professional identity of novice English teachers in Chinese local colleges both in theory and practice.Teachers from more than 20 local colleges in China are studied through quantitative questionnaires,narrative questionnaires and semi-structured interviews.The purpose of this study is to explore theinner demands of this group of novice English teachers to the greatest extent possible so as to outline their professional identity framework and record their professional practice.Quantitative data obtained were analyzed by SPSS19.0 software,and the qualitative part was coded and analyzed by thematic analysis.The results show that the self-identity of novice English teachers tends to be ideal at the beginning of their employment,and the proportion of teaching identity is higher than that of scientific research identity.Conflicts and pressures are often encountered in the change of sub-identities,which leads to the confusion of identity.Teachers' family background,professional quality and experience are the personal factors influencing the establishment of teachers' professional identity.At the same time,teachers,colleagues,family members and students are the "important others" influencing the construction of novice English teachers' professional identity in that they achieve self-development in the interaction with these "important others".Teaching and research conditions and the evaluation system in the local colleges provide an important environment for the professional identity of novice English teachers and become important external factors affecting the construction of their professional identity.It is urgent to provide novice English teachers with opportunities to participate in the learning community for learning and practice so as to help them explore more opportunities for legitimate marginalized participation through various intermediary tools and learning resources,constantly communicate with others in the learning activities provided by professional and life situations,improve their professional abilities and strengthen their learning activities,thus realizing the development of their professional identity while seeking a sense of belongingness and enhancing a sense of self-worth.This study focuses on local undergraduate colleges in China to meet the demands of English teachers' professional development in such universities and attempts to construct a model of English teachers' professional identity,which provides a reference for the promotion of professional identity and the progress of professional development of novice English teachers in such universities so as to improve the professional quality of foreign language teachers.