En route to becoming researcher-teachers? Chinese university EFL teachers’ boundary crossing in professional doctoral programs

Abstract

Drawing upon the theoretical framework of learning and identity work through boundary crossing, this study examined how Chinese university English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) teachers negotiated their researcher-teacher identities through attending professional doctoral programs in education and applied linguistics. Adopting a case study design, data were collected through narrative frames and follow-up interviews with eight participants, with journal entries and other documents drawn on as additional data. Analysis of the data revealed four distinctive trajectories of identity development: from intuitive teacher to rigorous teacher, from passive follower to critical inquirer, from idealistic researcher-teacher to qualified researcher first, and from EFL teacher to EFL academic. In general, while boundary crossing in professional doctoral programs facilitated the participants' progression towards a researcher-teacher identity, the construction of the teaching-research nexus in the participants' professional work followed a non-linear route and took variegated forms. The study thus yielded insights into the complexities of teachers’ navigation of the teaching-research nexus through doctoral education. Based on the findings, research-mindset-informed practice is proposed as an alternative approach to the teaching-research nexus that complements previous approaches such as evidence-based practice and practice-based research.