Investigation on the professional identity of senior high school English teachers

Abstract

Teachers' professional identity is pivotal to their professional development. Although studies on teachers' professional identity are extensive, professional identity of senior high English teachers in the Chinese context has been understudied. This paper aims to study professional identity of senior high school English teachers in Henan province of China by investigating 108 teachers from 5 senior high schools and to analyze obstacles to the professional development of senior high school English teachers. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed in this paper. It is found that the overall level of professional identity of senior high school English teachers in Henna province of China is average. The obstacles to the professional development of senior high English school teachers in Henan province of China are manifested mainly in the following three aspects: First, Heavy teaching burden give rise to strong pressure on the teachers; second, the deficiency in research ability has a negative influence on the professional development of the English teachers; and third, the unsatisfying working conditions, low pay level and social benefits. Finally, some countermeasures were put forward accordingly. © 2014 ACADEMY PUBLISHER Manufactured in Finland.