Full metadata record
| DC Field | Value | Language |
|---|---|---|
| dc.contributor | Faculty of Humanities | en_US |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Ho, Jenifer (ENGL) | en_US |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Feng, William (ENGL) | en_US |
| dc.creator | Fu, Ying | - |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://theses.lib.polyu.edu.hk/handle/200/14352 | - |
| dc.language | English | en_US |
| dc.publisher | Hong Kong Polytechnic University | en_US |
| dc.rights | All rights reserved | en_US |
| dc.title | The expansive learning of college EFL teachers in an interdisciplinary professional learning community | en_US |
| dcterms.abstract | Along with the social-cultural views on teacher learning and the prevalence of teacher Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), there is a rapid growth in the research interest in implementing PLCs in the Chinese context, and teacher PLCs have been proven a feasible and effective way to optimally promote teacher learning. Moreover, against the education reform of “New Liberal Arts” in Chinese tertiary education, there is a need for EFL teachers in higher education to cross the boundaries and build up teaching expertise regarding enriching cross-disciplinary knowledge (Wang, 2020). However, there is a general lack of research attempting to investigate the effectiveness of PLCs on the development of EFL teachers’ teaching competence, and there is even little understanding of teacher expansive learning across the disciplines in the interdisciplinary PLCs. Therefore, this study intends to contribute to the understanding by exploring the expansive learning of college EFL teachers in an interdisciplinary PLC. | en_US |
| dcterms.abstract | Informed by the theoretical framework of the fourth-generation activity theory and the concept of expansive learning and employing a multiple-case study approach, this study investigated the expansive learning experiences of college EFL teachers afforded by the PLC, the cycle of expansive learning processes, and the factors that have contributed to or hindered these outcomes. Over four academic semesters, various sources of data were collected, including semi-structured interviews, participant observations, informal interactions with various stakeholders, and relevant documents and artifacts. | en_US |
| dcterms.abstract | The findings revealed a wide range of expansive learning experiences for teachers. The teachers acted as agentic professionals to attain self-realization through experiences of concept development and conceptual changes, transformation of objects, boundary crossing and cognitive retooling, movement in the ZPD, and transformation of agency (Engeström, 2020; Engeström & Sannino, 2010). These diverse forms of teacher learning were interconnected with each other and embodied the characteristics of joint inquiry and collective learning, with the central focus on the community as learners, generation of theoretical concepts, and horizontal movement and hybridization (Engeström & Sannino, 2010). Among the teacher's expansive learning experiences, the formation of transformative agency acted as the core that went beyond the individual and developed the participants’ joint endeavors by co-constructing knowledge and explicating possibilities for collective change efforts. | en_US |
| dcterms.abstract | Concerning the learning processes, the finding revealed that teachers’ expansive learning processes did not necessarily encompass the seven strategic actions, and teachers completed part of or all actions of the expansive learning cycle. The action of reflection played a key role during the process, which mediated the whole learning cycle. The findings also revealed the non-linear nature of the expansive learning cycle where the participants’ seven strategic actions were interspersed with non-expansive learning actions. In addition, the process of expansive learning was the construction and resolution of successively evolving contradictions. Concerning the influencing factors, this study illuminated that teacher expansive learning was mediated by individual factors and various contextual realities. The levels of contextual realities included the immediate setting of the PLC, the institutional context of the university, and the larger social and cultural structures within which teacher learning took place. | en_US |
| dcterms.abstract | This study adds to our knowledge of the contextualization of the expansive learning theory in the Chinese tertiary education context. First, the finding demonstrates that the interdisciplinary PLC consisting of teachers from multiple disciplinary backgrounds and various professional expertise could trigger and stimulate teacher expansive learning, which extends the fourth-generation activity theory. Moreover, the study reveals the unique features of the expressions of teacher transformative agency, which reflect the Chinese ideology of collectivism, the Chinese values of advocating social harmony, and the high-power distance culture. This study also provides several practical implications for teacher learning initiatives to help tertiary EFL teachers cope with the pressing challenges in the new liberal arts era. | en_US |
| dcterms.extent | xi, 307 pages : color illustrations | en_US |
| dcterms.isPartOf | PolyU Electronic Theses | en_US |
| dcterms.issued | 2025 | en_US |
| dcterms.educationalLevel | DALS | en_US |
| dcterms.educationalLevel | All Doctorate | en_US |
| dcterms.LCSH | College teachers -- Professional relationships -- China | en_US |
| dcterms.LCSH | English teachers -- In-service training -- China | en_US |
| dcterms.LCSH | College teachers -- China | en_US |
| dcterms.LCSH | English language -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- China | en_US |
| dcterms.LCSH | Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations | en_US |
| dcterms.accessRights | restricted access | en_US |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8793.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 2.74 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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