Understanding changes in teacher beliefs and identity formation: A case study of three novice teachers in Hong Kong

ABSTRACT

Novice teachers often undergo an identity shift from learner to teacher. Along this process, their instructional beliefs change considerably which in turn affect their teacher identity formation. Drawing on data collected mainly through interviews with three novice English teachers for more than one year, the present study examines their first-year teaching experience in Hong Kong secondary schools, focusing on changes of their English teaching beliefs and the impact of these changes on their identity construction. Findings reveal that while the teachers’ initial teaching beliefs were largely shaped in their prior school learning and learning-to-teach experience, these beliefs changed and were reshaped a great deal when encountering various contextual realities, and these changes further influenced their views on their teacher identity establishment, unfortunately in a more negative than positive direction. The study sheds light on the importance of institutional support in affording opportunities for novice teachers’ workplace learning and professional development.

KEYWORDS:

• Novice teachers
• teacher beliefs
• teacher identity
• teacher education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the The Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China [GRF / 12403214].

Notes on contributors

Jing Huang

Dr. Jing HUANG is an assistant professor in Department of Education Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University. He was a professor in Zhanjiang Normal University, China before joining HKBU. His research is in learner and teacher autonomy, TESOL teacher education and educational ethnography.

Yi Wang

Dr. Yi WANG is a language teacher and researcher at Waikato Institute of Technology New Zealand and associate professor at Shandong University of Technology China. Her research interest includes language learner autonomy, teacher cognition, teacheridentity, and teachers' professional development.

Feng Teng

Mr. (Mark) Feng TENG is a PhD student in Department of Education Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University. His main research area includes L2 writing, and language teacher education.