Teacher Tales About Professional Development in an Evolving Profession

Abstract

This chapter presents the results of an investigation which explores the impact on in-service teacher development resulting from an evolution in English language teaching in Mexico. Using a qualitative approach grounded in sociocultural theory, it presents the narrated stories of seven English language teachers whose experiences span a period of almost a quarter of a century at a public university in central Mexico. Their development as teachers is seen through the re-living, telling, and re-telling of their lived experiences viewed through a Vygotskian lens. A thematic re-storying system is used to analyze the data collected, revealing common themes beginning with the participants’ entry into the profession, their socialization into the community of teachers, and ultimately, their motivation to develop as teachers. This study is not meant to offer an exhaustive review of all teachers throughout the country, but through these narrated stories, both the how and the why of participants’ in-service teacher development tell a bigger story of a winding path from institutionally-promoted teacher training to self-motivated teacher development and a growing sense of professionalism.