Abstract
Immigrant teachers have been more visible than ever before owing to transnational mobility. However, there is a lack of research on exploring their lived experiences in a broader context. With an auto-ethnographic approach, this study delves into the life of a non-native migrant in New Zealand over a period of 6 years. The qualitative data were mainly drawn from his reflective journals written between 2009 and 2016. Using grounded theory analysis, a genuine narrative of the ‘self’ reveals that the experience of living overseas has constantly shaped his expectations on personal, social and professional levels. The findings generate a conceptual framework as a means to illustrate intertwined relationships between one’s expectations and living experiences.
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Acknowledgements
I wish to thank two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and constructive feedback. My sincere gratitude goes to the Editor Georgina Stewart for her advice and guidance. Any errors that remain are my areas of improvement for the future. There is time to perfect this ethnographic study, and now it is time to thank you for reading my narrative of lived experience in New Zealand.
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Yan, D. A Non-native Teacher’s Reflection on Living in New Zealand. NZ J Educ Stud 55, 287–301 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40841-020-00176-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40841-020-00176-y