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Building a case for communities of practice as drivers of innovative teaching in English medium instruction context

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Abstract

While innovative teaching behavior is a promising type of competency that can equip faculty members with the necessary capability to adapt their teaching to fit their specific teaching context, how to achieve it remains underexplored. This study explored ten faculty members’ perceptions of the kind of values pertaining to innovative teaching behavior in English medium instruction (EMI) settings created by the co-participatory learning opportunities provided by their EMI community of practice (CoP). Using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis underpinned by the value creation framework, we identified three themes illustrating faculty members’ conceptualization of (1) prospects of value creation associated with membership in the community, (2) attained values, created through participating in the CoP, and (3) aspirational values, needed to sustain the community. Expectations of gains in professional development and peer support motivated members to join the community, and the values attained through co-participatory learning were underpinned by a sense of camaraderie and psychological safety that the community offered its members. Language-related support for developing English competencies and tailored support towards EMI issues constituted the main aspirational values members sought to gain. Finally, organizational support was highlighted as a crucial ingredient for sustaining the community’s activities. The implications of the results with respect to sustainable development of a faculty member’s innovative instructional practices are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Graduate Program of Education and Human Development, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

    Nothando Sithulile Nkambule

  2. Graduate Institute of Educational Administration and Policy, National Chengchi University, Taipei City, Taiwan

    Chia-Wei Tang

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  1. Nothando Sithulile Nkambule
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  2. Chia-Wei Tang
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Correspondence to Chia-Wei Tang.

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This study was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the National Cheng Kung University prior to data collection (reference number: Edu152).

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Nkambule, N.S., Tang, CW. Building a case for communities of practice as drivers of innovative teaching in English medium instruction context. High Educ 87, 721–740 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-023-01032-w

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