Identity Dilemmas of an English Language Teacher: Negotiating Tensions Underpinning Transformations in the Language Profile of a Primary School in Hong Kong
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| Title: | Identity Dilemmas of an English Language Teacher: Negotiating Tensions Underpinning Transformations in the Language Profile of a Primary School in Hong Kong |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Daphnee Hui Lin Lee (ORCID |
| Source: | Asia Pacific Journal of Education. 2024 44(4):1009-1025. |
| Availability: | Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 17 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Elementary Education |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Language Teachers, Elementary School Teachers, Enrollment Trends, Mandarin Chinese, Sino Tibetan Languages, Native Language, Organizational Change, Teacher Attitudes, Teacher Student Relationship, Power Structure, Professional Identity, Self Concept, Student Characteristics, Classroom Communication |
| Geographic Terms: | Hong Kong, China |
| DOI: | 10.1080/02188791.2023.2235914 |
| ISSN: | 0218-8791 1742-6855 |
| Abstract: | This paper studies the identity dilemmas of a teacher negotiating the tensions underpinning the transformations in the language profile of a Hong Kong primary school. Using a rigorous triangulation of written journals and in-depth interviews, the study reconstructs a case narrative personified as "Lily", an English language teacher at "Lexis Elementary", a school that previously struggled with low student enrolments. As a solution, the school now enrols students from Mainland China, where the spoken language is Mandarin rather than Cantonese spoken in Hong Kong. Resulting tensions arose because of transformations in the school's language profile. Lily constructs the language terrain she negotiates in her interactions with cross-border Mainland Chinese and local Hong Kong parents and students, and her responses to interactions among students. This paper provides original conceptual tools to explain complex "born-again" sentiments that trigger people to act in reverse against the stipulated conditions of the powerful. The concept of "born-again reversals" connects to global literature on resistance against "language learning for economic benefits". Insights from this study reconcile theoretical debates on using economic power as soft power, providing teachers with the conceptual tools to understand the identity dilemmas they experience with language planning initiatives worldwide. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1454891 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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