Teacher Agency and Policy Response in English Language Teaching

The role of English in the global arena has prompted official language-in-education policy makers to adopt language education policies to enable its citizens to be proficient in English and to access knowledge. Local educational contexts in different countries have implemented English education in their own ways with different pedagogical goals, motivations, features and pedagogies. While much of the research cited in English language planning policy has focused on macro level language policy and planning, there is an increasing interest in micro planning, in particular teacher agency in policy response. Individual teacher agency is a multifaceted amalgam, not only of teachers’ individual histories, professional training, personal values and instructional beliefs, but also of how these interact with local interpretations and appropriations of policy.

Teacher Agency and Policy Response in English Language Teaching examines the agency of the teacher in negotiating educational reforms and policy changes at the local and national levels.

Chapters in the book include:

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  English language teaching in China: teacher agency in response to curricular innovations
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  Incorporating academic skills into EFL curriculum: teacher agency in response to global mobility challenge
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  Teacher agency, the native/nonnative dichotomy, and "English Classes in English" in Japanese high Schools
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  Teacher-designed high stakes English language testing: washback and impact

This book will appeal to researcher across all sectors of education, in particular key stakeholders in curriculum and language planning. Those interested in the latest development of English language teaching will also find this book a valuable resource.

Patrick C. L. Ng holds an EdD in Applied Linguistics and TESOL (University of Leicester, UK) and is currently a professor at the University of Niigata Prefecture in Japan. His research focuses on language planning and policy, sociolinguistics, language education, bilingualism, multilingualism, English as a lingua franca and Chinese language studies.

Esther F. Boucher-Yip is an assistant professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA. She holds an EdD in Applied Linguistics and TESOL from University of Leicester, UK. She is the author of the book Language Maintenance and Shift Among the Semai in Malaysia: A Study of Indigenous Language Use and the co-editor of Local Contextual Influences on Teaching: Narrative Insights from ESL and EFL Professionals.