University Instructors’ Enactment of Professional Agency in Teaching Spoken English as a Foreign Language

Although previous studies on teacher agency have examined its manifestations and significance from the socio-cultural perspective, university English as a foreign language (EFL)-speaking instructors’ professional has been underrepresented in Chinese context. Based narrative inquiry approach cross-case analysis, this qualitative multiple case study explores how four EFL-speaking instructors exercise their key factors facilitating enactment. The finds that work agentic practitioners to translate career pursuits into concrete teaching duties, learning, researching. Their different enactment is closely related competence, disposition, identity commitment well multifarious contextual factors. findings imply understanding trajectories of teachers’ development fostering can assist more getting ready for future challenges. It suggested frontline teachers hold onto notion life-long build academic research profiles, conduct active reflections enhance agency. University administrators should consider creating conducive environment boost facilitate development.