Standard Presentation (25-minute) Beyond Lessons: The Evolutionary Journey of a Beijing Primary School English Teacher more

Sun, Sep 17, 14:50-15:15 Asia/Tokyo

Amidst the global trend of early English education, China's Ministry of Education outpaced Japan by introducing English as a school subject from the third grade of primary school in 2001, nearly two decades before Japan's similar action in 2020. This presentation provides a deep-dive into a narrative inquiry case study focusing on a primary English teacher in Beijing, tracing her 20-year career trajectory to offer insights into self-growth as an integral element of professional development. I employed Chase's (2018) narrative analysis framework, treating "each account in its entirety and integration among its parts" (p. 14). Using NVivo 14 for data organization, I derived insights from the participant's narrative accounts in two distinct periods: 2003 and 2018. The study unveiled three findings: It charts the participant's evolving identity as a primary English teacher over the span of two decades. It delineates the intricate relationship between primary English teachers and broader Chinese society. Lastly, it outlines the growth and transformation of China's educational system. While comparing these insights with studies of elementary English teachers in Japan, I amplify the importance of the narrative inquiry approach and aim to stimulate meaningful discourse on professional development in primary English teaching within the global context.