Faculty of Education - Theses

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    Influences on TESOL teachers' professional identity within an adult english language teaching context
    Kelly, Marie ( 2002)
    Using qualitative methods, this thesis explores the factors shaping the professional identity of teachers of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) through six interviews and two group interviews. It does so because there have been significant changes within education over the last decade: globalisation; restructuring of institutions and employment conditions; performance requirements; diversification of funding and a prevailing sense of uncertainty. This research is set within the context of Australia's largest provider of language services, the Adult Multicultural Education Service (AMES) and explores, through two of its language programs, the Australian Migrant Education Program (AMEP) and English for Intensive Purposes for Overseas Students (ELICOS), the global, local and individual factors that shape teachers' professional identity. The teachers' perceptions are analysed according to Rom Harre's positioning theory. This study found that the context provided by the workplace is a key influence on shaping teachers' identities. This work has identified some of the numerous factors that could contribute positively to the context in which teachers work.