About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherMultilingual Matters

ISBN-101847696465

ISBN-139781847696465

eBay Product ID (ePID)111969142

Product Key Features

Number of Pages232 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication NameExploring Japanese University English Teachers' Professional Identity

SubjectEducational Policy & Reform / General, English As a Second Language, Study & Teaching, Teaching Methods & Materials / General

Publication Year2012

TypeTextbook

AuthorDiane Hawley Nagatomo

Subject AreaForeign Language Study, Language Arts & Disciplines, Education

SeriesNew Perspectives on Language and Education Ser.

FormatTrade Paperback

Dimensions

Item Height0.5 in

Item Weight10.8 Oz

Item Length8.2 in

Item Width5.8 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceScholarly & Professional

LCCN2011-048969

Dewey Edition23

ReviewsThis book makes an important contribution to research on English language teaching through a series of studies that focus on the experiences of Japanese teachers of English in Japanese universities. It offers insights into the place of English in the Japanese higher education system, and the ways in which Japanese teachers of English negotiate their professional identities within that system. The book's complex and detailed analysis of teacher identity, though small in scope, provides an important counter to a range of negative discourses that have circulated about English language teaching in Japan. The book has much to offer teachers, teacher educators, and researchers interested in English language teaching as an aspect of university education., Exploring Japanese University English Teachers' Professional Identity offers a fascinating picture of the current state of English teaching at the university level in Japan...The book is a valuable addition to the libraries of university teachers, as well as of those interested in studies of gender, professional identity, English teaching, narrative research, and the teaching context in Japan...Nagatomo illustrates her points in a clear, succinct, and conversational tone, creating a book that is both persuasive and easy to read., It is rare to encounter a volume in the TESOL field written in a meticulously researched style that, at the same time, presents an introspective, reader-friendly analysis of a very complex situation. Hawley Nagatomo's book is an important addition to the burgeoning use of narrative studies aimed at uncovering the sociopolitical underpinnings of identity constructions of professional ELT educators. Although the primary focus is on female tertiary-level teachers in Japan, readers situated in different contexts will recognize themes that resonate with their own experiences as language instructors., 'Exploring Japanese University English Teachers' Professional Identity' is the product of a study that has its origins in formal academia, yet it is written and presented in a reader-friendly format that makes it accessible, not only to the research community and English language teachers, but also to just about anyone interested in teaching and learning about higher education in Japan...Scholars of language study, particularly, teacher trainers, will find this book invaluable, as the reflections of the participants show that a one-size-fits-all type of pedagogical training may not be effective, and that consideration of the trainee's sociocultural, political and personal contexts needs to be considered in order to yield best practices. Researchers intending to study teachers' identity and beliefs will find the research methodology useful and easily replicated. Finally, this book will prove extremely useful to anyone intending to consider a teaching position in Japan. From the 'backpacker' (Thornbury, 2002) teacher to university teachers and researchers, this book is a must-read, as it gives a better understanding of the inner workings of the Japanese education system, in particular, the workplace culture...After reading this book, I now understand these juxtaposed attitudes. I truly enjoyed reading 'Exploring Japanese University Teachers' Professional Identity' from the perspective of a language scholar, teacher educator and English teacher.

Series Volume Number23

IllustratedYes

Dewey Decimal428.0071/152

Table Of ContentChapter One: Introduction Chapter Two: The Japanese Context Chapter Three: Knowledge, Beliefs, and Identity Chapter Four: Data Collection Chapter Five: Developing Professional Identity Chapter Six: It's a Man's World Chapter Seven: Teaching is What I "Do," Not Who I Am Chapter Eight: Conclusion

SynopsisThis book examines the professional identities of Japanese university English teachers. It focuses on how relatively new teachers develop their professional identities, how gender impacts the professional identities of female professors, and how teaching practices and beliefs reflect personal and professional identity., This book contributes to the growing field of EFL teacher identity, which is now recognized to influence numerous aspects of classroom teaching and of student learning. It focuses on an under-researched, and yet highly influential group of teachers that shape English language education in Japan: Japanese university English teachers. In three interrelated narrative studies, it examines how four relatively new teachers develop professional identity as they become members of the community of practice of university English teachers; how gender impacts the professional identity of seven female professors ranging in age from their early 30s to their 60s; and how one teacher's teaching practices and beliefs reflect her personal and professional identity.

LC Classification NumberPE1068.J3