Understanding Language Teacher Educators’ Professional Experiences: An Exploratory Study in Hong Kong

Abstract

This research explores six language teacher educators’ professional experiences in Hong Kong. Drawing on the data from their narrative frames, the study identified some distinct roles in the participants’ professional lives, including teacher, supervisor, learner, researcher, scholar, and change agent. While some of the roles were satisfying and rewarding (e.g., teacher and supervisor), conflicts and tensions occurred in other roles (e.g., researcher and change agent), which could be attributed to the lack of professional support for their continuous learning, the institutional pressure to publish, and the difficulty in bridging the research–practice divide. By taking a reflective stance and exercising their professional agency, the participants attempted to cope with the conflicting roles and found meaning and satisfaction in their work. The study concludes that teacher educators should be encouraged to inquire into their own professional practice and provided with more opportunities and resources to engage in their continuous professional development.