Becoming teacher-researchers through action research: The experiences of Chinese language teacher candidates in a cross-cultural context

Abstract

This study is situated in the problematic context where research and practice are divisive due to the dominant epistemological positioning of school teachers being trained for teaching and tertiary academics for research. It explores the experiences of two teacher candidates' becoming teacher-researchers through action research in a cross-cultural context. This is retrospective research. The participants were enrolled in a Sino-Australian language teacher-researcher education program for their Master of Education Degree. The data were collected from them through multiple interviews and documentation at the stage of their early career teaching after the completion of their degree study. The researchers took an integrated lens of narrative psychology and ecological approach as theoretical stance. Through thematic analysis, a few key findings emerged. First, the teacher candidates’ identity-agency in becoming teacher-researchers experienced emerging, strengthening, and sustaining phases. Second, experiences central to the development of their teacher-researcher identity-agency encompassed their educational background, the benefits of action research internalized through the program, and their engagement in knowledge communities. Third, internal and external forces intertwined and influenced their involvement in knowledge communities, thereby steering the evolution of their identity-agency. This research is expected to provide insight into the landscapes of future language teacher-researcher education.