Case Study Of Novice English Teachers’ Identity In Senior High Schools

The novice English teachers are in the critical period of teachers’ professionaldevelopment and at that stage, they always focus on their survival. They will meet alot of difficulties in teaching, interpersonal relationship and other aspects. The studyof English teachers’ identity has been a great concern over the recent years. It haspositive effects on both their teaching and teachers’ development. But it is seldom tosee case studies of novice English teachers’ identity in senior high schools.Applying qualitative method, this paper tries to explore the two novice Englishteachers’ identity in two different kinds of senior high school in Jinan. The data arecollected through educational narratives, semi-structured interviews and observationof teaching. It aims to dig out the present situation of novice English teachers’ identity,the influencing factors and suggestions that can enhance the level of their teachers’identity.Based on the structure of English teachers’ identity in senior high proposed byXunyang in2012, the English teachers’ identity consists of four indispensabledimensions. Each dimension has two influential factors. This paper manages toanalyze novice English teachers’ identity by means of sociocultural perspective. Itanalyzes the educational narratives and interview through critical discourse analysis.It points out that there are many factors contributing to teachers’ identity. The factorscan be divided into three dimensions: individual perspective, school and socialcircumstances. So the factors such as perso nal teaching reflection, values, ability,pressure, the situation of the organizational support, the culture of the school and theteachers’ evaluation, the present innovation of teaching, the college entranceexamination are all subjected to the influence of English teacher’s identity in seniorhigh schools. The two teachers have to deal with different kinds of difficulties in theearly stage of teaching. And those difficulties can also reflect the complexity ofteachers’ identity. There is enormous pressure for novice English teachers in seniorhigh. It is necessary to raise their teachers’ identity, or they will quit their job of beinga teacher easily. Considering that, some strategies can be taken from the three mentioned aspects. The educational intuitions should strengthen the teachers’education that the teaching practice should be paid much attention, explore the properEnglish teaching model for the students and put the mentoring into practice. As forschool, the favorable school culture should be constructed, various activities shouldbe carried out and sound evaluation system should be established. Last but not least,the teachers should establish lofty professional ideal, try to improve their languageability, put the theory into practice and develop a good habit of teaching reflection.