Exploring College EFL Teachers’ Research Activities From A Sociocultural Perspective

In the past decade, increasingly more research (e.g. Hawkins 2004c; Tsui & Law 2007; Smolcic 2009; Johnson & Dellagnelo 2013; Golombek & Doran 2014; Kaur 2015) has been devoted to English language teacher learning and development in the context of teacher education programs using the Vygotskian sociocultural approach, but little attention has been given to in-service teacher learning in a naturalistic setting. In China, relevant research lags behind the international research agenda and fewer studies are concerned with this issue. The sociocultural turn in the field of foreign language (teacher) education (Lantolf 2000b; Johnson 2006,2009) provides an inherent and powerful theoretical basis for the application of sociocultural theory to the field of language teacher education, and offers new insights into understanding and enhancing language teacher learning and development in diverse contexts. From a sociocultural perspective, foreign language teacher learning is broadly shaped by the synergetic influences of collective practical activities and sociocultural contexts. The components of the teacher learning activity system, such as subject, object, mediating tools and community, make a significant contribution to teacher development. Teacher research engagement is not only a critical means, and it also represents the crucial essence of teaching improvement and teacher development (Borg 2010,2013). As far as Chinese college English teachers are concerned, research willingness; motivation, capability and the supporting environment remain to be improved, and there are prominent contradictions in teacher research practice and cognition systems, such as the pressures of institutional research requirements and professional title promotion, the emphasis on research production over the contribution of research process to professional development (Hu & Tang 2012; Chen & Wang 2013; Liu & Borg 2014). Therefore, it is essential to explore college EFL teachers’research activities from a sociocultural perspective, so as to encourage teacher research practice, reshape teacher research cognition, promote teacher professional development, and ultimately renew language teacher education.Adopting activity theory (Engestrom 1987,2001) originating from sociocultural theory as the theoretical framework, the present developmental work research aims to explore and understand the research activities of a teacher study group consisting of seven college English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers over a year-long period. It focuses on both the process and products of teacher research engagement, illuminating the nature of teacher learning and development in the workplace by examining the sociocultural context in which teacher research activities are situated. The following two research questions were addressed in the study:1) How did the research practices of the teacher study group evolve and develop over time? 2) What changes occurred to the individual teachers in terms of language teacher development? To answer these questions, group members shared and discussed each other’s research progress by participating in a series of collective events, namely, monthly meetings, networking communications and classroom observations. Data sources included in-depth interviews, concept maps, monthly meetings, research journals, classroom observations, networking communications, teacher research outcomes, and policy documents. The interviews, meetings and observations were audio-recorded and later transcribed verbatim for content analysis with other data. Informed by the sociocultural analytical framework of activity theory (Engestrom 1987,2001; Cole & Engestrom 1993) and relevant prior research (e.g. Cross 2006; Tsui & Law 2007), activity analysis and genetic analysis were used respectively to address the research questions.The activity analysis of the teacher study group indicates that the collective research events initiated by the study group and all the components of the group activity system were constantly changing and developing over time. To illustrate, the subjects moved from passive participation to active participation and also from individual action to collective activity. As collective events unfolded, the mediating tools available for teachers became more diversified, and played a more significant role in promoting teacher research engagement. The research objects commenced with paper publications and professional title promotions, then transformed into research engagement and teaching improvement, and eventually focused on personal development and professional identity, In the group activity system, the contradictions encompassed the conflicts among the group members, the contradictions between the activity components, and the tensions caused by neighboring activity systems. The multiple levels of contradictions were beneficial for teachers to reflect on and reshape their believing, knowing, doing, and being, In addition, the practices of the teacher study group were a convincing application of expansive learning advocated by activity theory. By crossing the boundaries of institutions, disciplines and research paradigms, the emergence of a collaborative community of teacher learning occurred, and group mediation was brought into full play among the group members.As far as individual teachers were concerned, the changes and development they demonstrated over the year fell into three dimensions:teacher practices, teacher perceptions and professional identities. In detail, practice and perception development was observed in terms of both research engagement and classroom teaching. For example, some teachers put a premium on the actual effect of language classroom teaching and the use of empirical methods in teaching research. In addition, they came to newer understandings of classroom interaction, EFL learners’demotivation and the role of empirical research. Underlying these changes in teacher practices and perceptions was the reconstruction of professional identities. The formation of teacher learner, classroom teacher and researcher was the interplay between individual growth journey, teaching/research experience and expertise, institutional policy and sociocultural context. Furthermore, individual differences and disconnections were identified because of the complex genetic domains of cultural-history (the macro policy context), ontogenesis (educational background and personal history) and microgenesis (immediate research activity system).To conclude, the above activity analysis of the teacher study group and genetic analysis of individual teacher development serve as powerful evidence for the application of the analytical framework of activity theory, and also provide tremendous potential to exploring, understanding and improving foreign language teacher education and development. From the research conclusions, theoretical and pedagogical implications are drawn for research on and practice of foreign language teacher education in’China and other similar international contexts. First of all, teacher research activity is an essential component of pre-service and in-service teacher education practice at all levels. The teacher study group founded by classroom teachers voluntarily from different institutions is thus recommended as an effective bottom-up solution to promote sustainable development for teachers at school and in the workplace. Second, teacher research engagement is seen as a sociocultural activity system. In the activity system of teacher research, teacher agency, mediating tools for research and teacher research community are conducive to transforming teacher practices, reconceptualizing teacher perceptions and reconstructing professional identities. The systemic contradictions of teacher research activity are important sources and motivational forces for pursuing expertise in teaching and research. Last but not least, in the current foreign language teacher education program, there is an urgent need to foster the capability for research engagement, the rational conception of research, and the practice of empirical methods. For in-service teachers, exploratory practice rooted in the concrete teaching context makes a difference to teaching improvement, research engagement and professional development.In the process of conducting the exploratory developmental work research, an inevitable limitation was the difficulty in making a rigid distinction between conscious intervention and strategic mediation. This largely resulted by the dual roles of an activity organizer and a participant that the researcher played in the teacher study group. However, the research originality is reflected in the analytical framework adopted from sociocultural activity theory, the prolonged exploration of teacher research activities, and the triangulation of rich qualitative data sources. In future research, it will be particularly important to further explore the intertwined relationship between the practices and perceptions of foreign language teacher research engagement and the formation of professional identities in a diverse context using the analytical framework of activity theory and a qualitative case study approach.