Unpacking EFL teachers' agency enacted in nested ecosystems in developing regions of Southern China

Abstract

The critical role of teacher agency in curriculum reform among high school teachers remains under-researched. Drawing on an ecological perspective, this study investigated the difficulties senior high school EFL teachers faced and their agency enacted during the implementation of curriculum reform. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 senior high school EFL teachers in two developing regions of southern China, and qualitative content analysis was applied to analyze the data. The findings identified four key difficulties perceived by the teachers, and their passive or active agency enacted in response to diverse factors in the micro-, meso-, exo-, and macrosystems. This study underscores the need to enhance EFL teachers' active agency to ensure equitable English education access for students in developing regions.