LINGUIST List 21.4478 Mon Nov 08 2010 Diss: Applied Ling: Nagatomo: 'An Investigation of the Professional...' Editor for this issue: Mfon Udoinyang <mfonlinguistlist.org> To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.cfm. Directory         1.     Diane Hawley Nagatomo , An Investigation of the Professional Identity of Japanese Teachers of English in Japanese Higher Education Message 1: An Investigation of the Professional Identity of Japanese Teachers of English in Japanese Higher Education Date: 07-Nov-2010 From: Diane Hawley Nagatomo <dianenagatomogmail.com> Subject: An Investigation of the Professional Identity of Japanese Teachers of English in Japanese Higher Education E-mail this message to a friend Institution: Macquarie University Program: Department of Linguistics Dissertation Status: Completed Degree Date: 2010 Author: Diane Hawley Nagatomo Dissertation Title: An Investigation of the Professional Identity of Japanese Teachers of English in Japanese Higher Education Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics Subject Language(s): English (eng)                             Japanese (jpn) Dissertation Director: Stephen Moore Dissertation Abstract: This dissertation reports on three studies that investigate the professional identity of Japanese teachers of English in Japanese higher education. The initial research questions that guided this study were (1) What are the teaching practices and beliefs of Japanese teachers in higher education, and (2) Do Japanese teachers of English in higher education identify as English language teachers. If not, what do they see themselves as? These questions were revised and refined according to the foci of the three separate studies. Study 1 investigated, through a series of interviews, the professional identity of four Japanese university teachers who are at the onset of their careers. Narrative data drawn from interviews was analyzed using Wenger's (1998) Theory of Identity as a theoretical framework. The study found that the participants engaged in the same types of professional activities: in teaching, in the workplace, and in the wider social context. However, how the participants utilized their imagination of and how they aligned with these areas of engagement differed, and it was these differences that distinguished their individual professional identities. Study 2, also a narrative study, investigated the impact of gender upon the professional identity of seven Japanese female teachers ranging in age from their early thirties to their early sixties. This study used Gee's (2000) four perspectives of identity: as its theoretical framework. The study found that the participants' gender permeated all other aspects of the participants' professional identity. A strong relationship between gender and English language study, without which the participants' would not have become university English teachers, was also established. Study 3 is a case study of one teacher who is at the onset of her career. The aim of this study was to uncover how classroom teaching practices reflect personal and professional identity. The data was collected through three classroom observations and five interviews. The study found that the participant's deep interest in literature was at the heart of professional identity as a teacher of English. Her belief that the key to successful language learning lies in a 'deep' understanding of the materials was reflected in her lessons, where she taught virtually every sentence in the texts in great detail. These three studies found that there is a conflict between the participants' identities as specialists in an English-related field, and their identities as teachers of English language. How the participants manage this conflict depends upon various issues, including their personal inclination toward teaching, their personal experiences, as well as the social context in which they live and work. Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue Page Updated: 08-Nov-2010       About LINGUIST    |   Contact Us       While the LINGUIST List makes every effort to ensure the linguistic relevance of sites listed on its pages, it cannot vouch for their contents.