Case Study On English Novice Teachers’ Professional Identity In A Primary School

Novice teachers are on the beginning stage of their professional development, during which the experienceacquired will affect the orientation and attitude of their later development. Teachers’ professional development ismainly affected by their professional identity, just as the philosophy of Marxism says: external causes workthrough internal ones which, yet plays the leading role. Only when teachers sincerely accept and love teaching,can they endeavor their best to put theory into practice. Meanwhile they can actively deal with the relationshipsbetween teacher and the students as well as between colleagues, and set the career goals and locate themselvesproperly. According to research data, there is a comparatively high rate of teachers’ leaving their jobs. Becausenovice teachers have to shift their identity from student to teacher, they have quite a number of affairs to cope with,including preparing to get familiar with the teaching environment, teaching objects, teaching material andmethods, etc. Due to the problems of the lack of supportive environment and teaching experience, overloadedwork and high pressure, and not having a goal at present, and more requirements suggested by New EnglishCurriculum, for instance, students’ ability cultivating is equal to knowledge imparting, focusing on students’changing and developing emotion and attitude, forming valid learning strategy and good learning habitat, noviceteachers are subscribed to suffer from frustration. Therefore, researching the primary school novice teachers’identity and its construction has the crucial significance for improving teaching abilities and the teachers’professional development.The thesis is on the theoretical basis of teachers’ professional identity, including five dimensions, namelyteacher-student outlook, professional satisfaction (professional status and motivation), professional knowledge andability, professional environment and professional expectation, and try to present the inner experience and truemind of these novice teachers. The research has picked out three cases and shows the different point of views andfeelings about teaching, the relationship between teachers and students, encountered teaching difficulties, the levelof in-service training satisfaction and self developing orientation. Meanwhile, the research tries to analyze andexplain the influencing factors on forming teachers’ professional identity so as to better put forward suggestions ofprofessional identity construction. It is studied that the status quo. of primary school novice teachers’ identity is asfollowing:1.The contradiction between the democracy of teacher and students relationship and teachers’ authority,2. Good welfare of and love of the job,3. The split of self in theory and practice,4. Teachers are not satisfied withthe school interpersonal relations and in-service training,5. Teachers lay great significance of teaching techniques.The influencing factors contain both subjective and objective ones. The objective factors include critical personand incident as well as external environment, while subjective ones include one’s goal, attitude, reflection, etc. Inconclusion, the thesis puts forward the suggestion of enriching in-service training content and forms, andcombining the theory with the practice for the education department; of improving training mode at school andconstructing a harmonious interpersonal relationship on campus and constructing teachers’ professionalcommunity; reflective teaching and construction of teachers’ portfolio of professional development.