A Case Study Of The Professional Growth Of A Novice English Teacher In An Elementary School

This qualitative case study investigates the professional growth of a novice English teacher in an elementary school. It aims to explore how she learns, what changes her learning brings to her knowledge and practice, and what factors promote or hinder her development. The data in this study are mainly collected from a semi-structured interview, three classroom observations and case documents. The major findings of the study are summarized as follows:First, the teacher’s growth is based on her mastery of basic teaching skills, professional knowledge, English teaching knowledge and her personal beliefs gained from her formal learning in the normal school. Her growth is particularly inseparable from her informal self-directed learning from her daily reflections, the teacher learning community she participates, and her critical reflection and reconstruction of the personal teaching beliefs and behaviors.Second, the teacher’s learning experiences in pre-service and in-service education have brought changes to the teacher’s knowledge of teaching and learners. More such changes happen after she formally becomes a teacher, which result in improvement in her abilities in decision making, classroom English teaching and student education.Finally, the factors promoting her growth include her good family education background, good personality, healthy and upward "friends’cycle", and a positive school environment. Obstacles mainly come from the immature new policy from the local education administrative departments, the school management and evaluation system, and the traditional ideas.In light of the above findings, the researcher makes some suggestions, such as more attention to be paid to the teacher education, especially the influence of the practicum on elementary-school English teacher development, to the needs of the novice young teachers, and to building a supportive school environment with an open and fair evaluation system beneficial to young teachers’development.