英語非母語的國際英文教師之自我定位：在台灣工作的兩位教師之個案研究 - 政大學術集成

全文

(1)國⽴政治⼤學英國語⽂學系碩⼠班碩⼠論⽂. 指導教授：⿈怡萍先⽣ Advisor: Dr. Yi-Ping Huang. 立. 政治大. ‧ 國. 學 ‧. 英語非母語的國際英⽂教師之⾃我定位：在台灣⼯作的兩位教師之個案研究. n. al. er. io. sit. y. Nat. Self-positioning of Two NNES International English Teachers: A Qualitative Case Study in Taiwan. Ch. engchi. i Un. v. 研究⽣：羅毓蓮撰中華民國 109 年 1 ⽉. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(2) SELF-POSITIONING OF TWO NNES INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH TEACHERS: A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY IN TAIWAN. A Master Thesis Presented to Department of English,. 治政大 National Chengchi University 立 ‧. ‧ 國. 學. al. er. io. sit. y. Nat. In Partial Fulfillment. n. of the Requirements for the Degree of. C hMaster of Arts U n i engchi. v. By Vivianne Yu-Lien Lo January 2020. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(3) To Professor Yi-Ping Huang 獻給我的恩師⿈怡萍教授. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. iii. i Un. v. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(4) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Phew! It is finally, finally my turn to officially “log out” of Cheng-Da, my alma-mater, shelter, and home. These four years in graduate school is anything but simply “Get the degree and go.” It is a time where I confronted the most critical life lessons, underwent the most dramatic changes, feeling the most pain, and making the strongest recovery. I still remember going back to school right after completing my student teaching and getting a teacher’s certificate I was not very sure if I would use. A year and a half of taking intensive courses with the kindest, smartest people, six months of exchange program in Madison, Wisconsin that opened my eyes to Life, and. 政治大. the following two and a half years of working full-time and writing my thesis on-and-. 立. off, I am truly appreciative of every single one of you who walked me through this. ‧ 國. 學. lesson of Love. It may sound like cliché, but in fact love is not equally given to all of. ‧. us. The truth is, I climbed all the way up of a steep hill almost reaching the top only to. sit. y. Nat. find that I was all sick and rotten inside. Looking back at how far I had gone did not. io. er. make me proud. Instead, I saw no point in “getting good names” just to impress other. al. people while not knowing what it actually meant to me. In the past few years I felt so. n. iv n C U to get by. Soon, some restless, anxious, and unhappy that I needed h e nacademic g c h isuccess. serious incidents stroke me harshly and I was awakened to the fact that making peace with the ugliest part of myself was key. It took me so long to survive the impact and complete this final phase of my MA journey thinking that I would never make it. Time is the greatest gift ever granted to me - many thanks to everyone who has given me all the time I needed by not pushing, not inquiring, not complaining, and not putting any blame. Thesis is not just a long paper but a big life project; writing thesis is a solitary process that requires peace of strong mind. At the end of the day, I thank myself for struggling through and growing into all this.. iv. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(5) 國⽴政治⼤學英國語⽂學系碩⼠班碩⼠論⽂提要論⽂名稱：英語非母語國際英⽂教師之⾃我定位：在台灣⼯作的兩位教師個案研究. 指導教授：⿈怡萍博⼠研究⽣：羅毓蓮論⽂提要內容：. 政治大師」分類已無法充分呈現英語教師多元的⽂化及語⾔背景 (Ellis, 2013)。在以英立在現今⾼度國際化且⼈⼜流動度⾼的社會中，傳統上對於「中師、外. ‧ 國. 學. 語為外語的環境中，由於不適⽤於⽬前對英語教師的⼆分法，英語非母語國際英⽂教師之特殊身份時常未受到注意，使得他們的經驗鮮少得到探究。透過質. ‧. 性研究⽅法，本研究旨在探討兩位在台灣⼯作的英語非母語國際英⽂教師之身. y. Nat. 份認同發展及⾃我定位。主要資料來源為⼜語敘事、半結構式訪談及⼯作相關. io. sit. ⽂件，並藉由 Carspecken (1996)的編碼策略進⾏分析。研究發現並非所有英語. n. al. er. 非母語教師都將其非母語身份視為教學⽣涯中的困境，⽽在這類教師⾯對母語. Ch. i Un. v. 者謬誤之社會論述時，不同的成長經驗對於其態度有深刻的影響。本研究之兩. engchi. 位參與者在⾯對此意識型態時經歷非常不同的轉變及身份認同發展過程。其中⼀位在⾯對家長質疑其教學資格時，歷經許多內⼼掙扎與強烈的焦慮感。另外⼀位則⾃信於本身的能⼒，接納多元語⾔⽂化的價值，堅守專業原則，未受到偏頗⾔論之影響。這樣的結果顯⽰出教師成長背景之社會論述—社會互動中的⾏為、⽂字及⾔語 (Varghese et al., 2005)—及環境對於教師專業發展的重要性。因此，本研究呼籲重新檢視英語教學專業之定義、解鎖與母語者謬誤相關的誤導性社會⾔論，並加強師資培育。關鍵字：英語非母語教師、多語⾔教師、英語教學專業、定位理論、母語者謬誤. v. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(6) ABSTRACT In this highly globalized world with increasing mobility, the traditional categories of teachers no longer do justice to the diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds of English teachers in the classroom (Ellis, 2013). The unique identities of Non-native English-speaking (NNES) international teachers working in EFL contexts often go unnoticed as they do not fit into the current division of English teachers as “local” and “foreign” teachers associated with non-native and native speakers respectively. Thus, their experiences are barely explored. This study, through a qualitative case study approach, aimed to probe into two NNES international teachers’ identity development. 政治大. and self-positioning in Taiwan. Oral narratives, semi-structure interviews, and work. 立. documents were the major data sources analyzed based on Carspecken’s (1996) model of. ‧ 國. 學. coding strategies. The findings showed that nativeness may not be a serious issue for NNESTs, and that social discourse has a profound influence on NNESTs’ attitude. ‧. towards Native Speaker Fallacy. Confronted with such ideology, the two participants. Nat. sit. y. underwent different changes in identity and self-positioning development due to their. n. al. er. io. distinctive upbringing experiences: One of them struggled through intense anxiety when. i Un. v. being questioned and challenged by stakeholders for her legitimacy to teach English. Ch. engchi. while the other one strongly believed in her capabilities, embracing the values of multilingualism and professionalism, unaffected by the prevailing bias around her. Such contrast indicates the influence of the social discourse and environment on a teacher’s professional development Therefore, this study suggests the necessity of redefining English teaching professionalism, problematizing the misleading social discourse of Native Speaker Fallacy, and strengthening teacher education.. Keywords: non-native English-speaking teachers, multilingual teachers, English teacher professionalism, positioning, native speaker fallacy. vi. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(7) TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………………………………….. iv CHINESE ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………….……… v ENGLISH ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………...…….... vi TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………………………...…………...….. vii LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………....……………….. viii LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………..………………….…………...…….. viii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………...……. 1. 政治大 Language Teacher Identity………………………………………………................... 5 立. CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW………………………………………………… 5. ‧ 國. 學. English Teaching Professionalism……………………..…………..………………… 6 Non-native English-speaking Teachers……………………….……………....……... 7. ‧. Positioning Theory……………………………..…………………………………… 11. y. Nat. CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY………………...……….……………………….... 13. er. io. sit. Research Design……………………………..……….…….………………………. 13 Participants…………………………………………..………..…….………………. 14. n. al. Ch. i Un. v. Data Collection……………………………………………..….………...…………. 17. engchi. Researcher’s Role and Position…………………………………...………..………. 18 Data Analysis……………………………………..………...……..……..…………. 20 Trustworthiness………..…………………….………………...…..……….…….…. 20 Ethical Issues…………………………...…………………………..…...….………. 21 CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS……………………………….……………..……....………. 23 Case Profile: Jeannie…………………………………………...………….………....23 Tutoring in Jordan…………………………………………………………...23 Teaching in Jordan…………………………………………………………..26 Leaving Jordan and exploring possibilities in Taiwan……………………...30. vii. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(8) Teaching in Taiwan…………………………………………………………31 Studying in Taiwan………………………………………………………….35 Teaching in the future……………………………………………………….37 Case Profile: Heidi…………………………….………………..…………………....40 Traveling to China…………………………………………………………..40 Teaching in China…………………………………………………………...41 Moving to Taiwan…………………………………………………………...47 Teaching in Taiwan…………………………………………………………48 Teaching in the future……………………………………………………….54. 政治大 Addressing Research Question 1…………….……………………………………....57 立. CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION…………………………………….……………………....57. Similarity of the participants’ self-positioning………………...……………58. ‧ 國. 學. Difference between the participants’ self-positioning………………………59. ‧. Addressing Research Question 2…………………………………………….………61 Jeannie’s identity and self-positioning development………………………..63. y. Nat. io. sit. Heidi’s identity and self-positioning development………………………….67. n. al. er. CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSION……………………………………………...……………..71. Ch. i Un. v. Pedagogical Implication……………………………………………………………..71. engchi. Rethinking teacher professionalism in Taiwan……………………………..71 Decoding social discourse…………………………………………………..73 Strengthening language teacher education………………………………….73 Limitation and Suggestions for Future Research……………..………………..…….74 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………..………..….76 APPENDICES………………………………………………………………….…………….84 Appendix A Interview Protocol………………..……………………….………………..84 Appendix B Informed Consent Form……………………………..……………………...88. viii. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(9) LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Background of the participants……………………………………………..16 Table 2. Contextual factors of Jeannie’s self-positioning………..…………….…….62 Table 3. Contextual factors of Heidi’s self-positioning.……………………………..66. LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Obscurity of NNES international teachers’ place in literature…………….10 Figure 2. Obscurity of NNES international teachers’ place in Taiwan……………....15. 政治大. Figure 3. Jeannie’s self-positioning development……………………………………57. 立. Figure 4. Heidi’s self-positioning development……………………………………...58. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. ix. i Un. v. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(10) CHAPTER ONE Introduction That "language teaching is identity work" is a concept clearly presented in the 2017 special issue of Modern Language Journal as an overarching theme which highlights the importance of language teacher identity (LTIs) research. LTIs has become a major focus in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and TESOL studies especially in the modern society that has been substantially diversified by globalization (Huang, 2017). In De Costa and Norton’s (2017) introductory article for the issue, LTIs can be understood as the complex, fluid development of teachers’. 政治大. emotion, cognition, reflexivity, teaching philosophy, and practice. In the Douglas Fir. 立. Group Framework (2016), teacher identity is considered the meso dimension of. ‧ 國. 學. language learning and teaching, and is closely embedded in the macro dimension (e.g.. ‧. school context) and micro level (e.g. classroom situations). As Kanno and Stuart. sit. y. Nat. (2011) have called for a deeper understanding of teacher identity development,. io. er. teachers' beliefs, practices, and inner lives are receiving no less attention than their. al. professional knowledge and teaching skills. The dynamic and complex nature of. n. iv n C teacher identity has been recognized h e nasga potential c h i Usite of struggle, conflict, and. change. Its influence on educational practices is not to be underestimated (Miller, Morgan & Medina, 2017). One of the major themes of LTIs study is the identities of nonnative Englishspeaking teachers (NNESTs). Despite the fact that native and nonnative speakers (NS and NNS) possess different advantages in the language classroom, the misconception that native speakers are “intrinsically” better teachers is still embraced by many people (Ma, 2012). Brutt-Griffler and Samimy (2001) already regarded the existing NS-NNS dichotomy as not so much a linguistic category but a socially-constructed. 1. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(11) “myth.” Such labeling is closely related to accent, race, and the dominating Western cultures (Aneja, 2016). Many researchers have highlighted the necessity to recognize and value NNESTs’ learning experiences and linguistic repertoire as crucial elements of language teaching (Ellis, 2013; Higgins & Ponte, 2017). However, NNESTs are still often discriminatorily defined by their English “deficiency” as a result from a contrast with NESTs (Ellis, 2016). The linguistic discrimination of NNESTs can be seen in both ESL and EFL contexts. One site of struggle is the freshman’s composition class of the US colleges typically taught by international teaching assistants (ITAs). According to Liu’s (2005). 政治大. analysis of Chinese ITAs, most ITAs are surprised, shocked, and even “horrified” to. 立. be assigned the job of teaching native English-speaking American students “how to. ‧ 國. 學. write in English.” Not only does the teacher suffer from a sense of “inferiority. ‧. complex,” the students might also find it difficult or disturbing to comprehend the. sit. y. Nat. ITA’s language expressions, which hinders mutual communication and meaning. io. er. negotiation (Kang, Rubin & Lindemann, 2015). Zheng (2017) further reported the. al. students’ skepticism on the legitimacy of the ITAs, presented in such questions as. n. iv n C “Isn’t she Chinese? Can she teach us English?” h e n g(p.29) c h iToUdeal with such suspicion and to establish trustworthiness in the classroom, the participating ITAs drew on their interdisciplinary profession, applied communicative strategies, and repositioned themselves as bilingual speakers. Given that utilizing ITAs’ multilingual and translingual identities have positive effects on pedagogies, especially in an increasingly diverse classroom setting, it is crucial to recognize non-nativeness and bilingualism as the greatest asset of ITAs (Zheng, 2017). Another site of struggle is the increasingly competitive “market” of English education in countries where English is learned as a foreign language (EFL). With. 2. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(12) English serving as the international language and the world turning into a globalized society, the employment of NESTs in East Asia has been on the rise (Jeon & Lee, 2006). In the face of such a trend, NNESTs who are trained locally might experience a sense of confusion and contradiction (Wang & Lin, 2014). Self-doubt in English proficiency arises when it comes to the “competitiveness” of job positions with NESTs (p.14). Even uncertified NESTs might receive more opportunities and better pay; this social inequality conflicted the NNESTs’ beliefs. The prestige that NESTs enjoy as “foreigners” deeply affected NNESTs’ confidence (p.16-18). Moreover, accent has become a major source of discrimination (Su, 2008). Bias in teacher. 政治大. recruitment and evaluation occur when the NNESTs’ pronunciation does not sound. 立. like “standard” English. Their “lack” of study abroad experience in English-speaking. ‧ 國. 學. countries leads to skepticism from students and parents as well (Liao, 2017). The NS-. ‧. NNS conflict is still an intense and explicit debate in EFL contexts.. sit. y. Nat. An interesting phenomenon worthy of further discussion is NNESTs from. io. er. EFL countries who visit and teach in another EFL country, termed “NNES. al. international teachers” in this study. For example, a Japanese NNEST might travel to. n. iv n C Spain and starts teaching English to Spanish-speakers. he n g c h i U Although different varieties of English in many parts of the world are being recognized and accepted (Brutt-Griffler & Samimy 2001; Ellis, 2013), nativeness and nationalities are still the primary concern in the recruitment of international English language teacher in EFL countries (Mahboob & Golden 2013). Particularly, Taiwan seems to have the strictest regulations on international teacher certification among most Asian countries, giving priority to the UK, USA, Canada and Australia and South Africa (Huang, 2003; Wang & Lin, 2013). In this respect, the cases of NNES international teachers in Taiwan are rare, and there is very limited data concerning similar issues, except Yu’s (2015). 3. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(13) study on a Singaporean teacher. The barely explored complexity as well as ambiguity of these teachers’ position in the Taiwanese society is worthy of investigation. More importantly, the current foreign teacher recruitment policy is against English teaching professionalism. It is clearly stated in that, in addition to a college degree, “The language to be taught by the foreign teacher is the official language used in the country specified in the passport of the teacher” (Article 42 of Qualifications and Criteria Standards for foreigners undertaking the jobs specified under Article 46.1.1 to 46.1.6 of the Employment Service Act). Such regulations not only undermine teaching and learning quality by prioritizing underqualified NESTs over qualified. 政治大. NNESTs but also continue to reinforce the social ideology of Native Speaker Fallacy.. 立. The purpose of this qualitative case study, therefore, is to problematize the issues of. ‧ 國. 學. NNES international teachers by uncovering the identity work of two NNES. ‧. international teachers in Taiwan, their self-positioning, and the influencing factors.. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. 4. i Un. v. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(14) CHAPTER TWO Literature Review This chapter briefly summarizes three issues and theories that inform the study: 1) the notions of language teacher identity, 2) the definitions of English language teaching professionalism, 3) empirical studies of NNEST identity, and 4) positioning theory. Language Teacher Identity Multiple definitions of identity have been proposed. In general, identity is “what we think of ourselves,” which can be influenced by external factors such as. 政治大. contexts, conditions, socio-economic status, careers, experiences, and interpersonal. 立. interactions. Meanwhile, this self-awareness is also deeply embedded in internal. ‧ 國. 學. factors, e.g. personalities, emotions, beliefs, ethics, perceptions, physical. ‧. characteristics, talents, and skills (Pennington & Richards, 2016). To put it simply, we. sit. y. Nat. think of ourselves in a certain way not only based on our inner feelings and thoughts. io. er. but also because of the outside world and the people around us. Just as there are so. al. many decisive components of one’s identity formation, many scholars have. n. iv n C discovered that identity is intrinsically h e n fluid, i U multiple, contingent, and g c hcomplex, constantly shifting. Identity is also relational, indexical, dynamic, and sometimes overlapping and contradictory (Beauchamp & Thomas, 2009; De Costa & Norton, 2017; Douglas Fir Group, 2016). Identity is constructed and presented in real-life practices and social discourses, such as actions, experiences, talks, narration, and stories. This study is grounded on the basis of the previous studies, seeing identity as an ever-changing, multifaceted, and context-sensitive understanding of the self, but tries to focus on several aspects through specific lens in order to decode the. 5. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(15) complexities. The professional identity of language teachers is especially highlighted in this study. It addresses more specifically a teacher’s relationships with the target language, self-knowledge, school or institute, students, formal teacher education, teaching practices, and the teacher community (Pennington & Richards, 2016). A teacher’s professional identity involves an interaction between one’s personal characteristics and professional beliefs, i.e. personalities, roles, and expected behavior in the classroom. This development is an ongoing process where teachers constantly integrate their experiences, core values, and perceptions. Teachers also envision their future and decide what to do thereupon, which has a profound influence. 政治大. on their agency (Beijaard, Meijer, & Veroppo, 2004).. 立. English Teaching Professionalism. ‧ 國. 學. What counts as a professional teacher? Many scholars believe that. ‧. professional knowledge plays an important role in teaching professionalism. For. sit. y. Nat. example, Shulman (1987) took the pioneering step to defining teaching knowledge as. io. er. well as professionalizing teacher communities. He listed several aspects of the. al. knowledge base that determine effective teaching. The knowledge base of teaching. n. iv n C can be categorized into: content knowledge of the subject hen g c h i Umatter itself; general. pedagogical knowledge related to classroom management; curriculum knowledge about the teaching materials and program structure; pedagogical content knowledge of combining content and pedagogy, i.e. “knowing the specific way to teach a particular concept;” learner knowledge about the student characteristics; educational context knowledge of the local cultures and communities; and lastly, educational knowledge of the learning objectives based on the historical and philosophical grounds of the study field (p.8). Furthermore, Beijaard, Verloop and Vermunt (2000) specified the three main roles of a teacher: 1) a teacher as a subject matter expert who is proficient. 6. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(16) in the knowledge and field of studies that they teach; 2) a teacher as a pedagogical expert who is concerned about students’ holistic development, emotions, values, and personal problems; and 3) a teacher as a didactical expert who guides students to reflect upon and learn from experiences (p.752-753). The above-mentioned studies can be generally applied to all teaching disciplines. To clarify the professional knowledge and skills of language teaching, Brown (2007) compiled four main categories of what makes for a “good” language teacher. In addition to the high proficiency in English and the competence of all four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), the good English-language-teaching. 政治大. characteristics also consist of technical knowledge, pedagogical skills, interpersonal. 立. skills, and certain personal qualities. First, a professional English teacher should have. ‧ 國. 學. technical knowledge about the linguistic system of English, basic language learning. ‧. and teaching principles, connection between language and culture. Second, an English. sit. y. Nat. teacher also needs to have pedagogical skills of clear presentation, lesson planning,. io. er. classroom management, student assessment, and a variety of teaching techniques and. al. approaches. Next, the interpersonal skills an English teacher requires are cross-. n. iv n C cultural differences, appreciation h ofe students’ i U and abilities, adaptability with n g c hopinions students at multiple levels, and a cooperative attitude towards teaching fellows. Last but not least, a professional English teacher should also have the personal qualities of being well-organized, responsible, flexible, reflective, inquisitive, and ethical (p.491). These principles provide a clear guideline for teacher education and a direction for future teachers-to-be. Non-native English-speaking Teachers A highlight of the NNEST identity is their jeopardized confidence and sense of disempowerment in the face of Native Speakerism, or Native Speaker Fallacy. 7. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(17) (Philipson, 1992; Tang, 1997; Amin, 1997). Linguistic identities are NNESTs’ major concerns that continue to influence their identity formation (Zacharias, 2010). NNESTs are often marginalized as “second-class” teachers while NESTs are considered the ideal teacher candidates, which resulted from the existing monolingual bias against second language users as well as the dominating Anglo-white culture (Appleby, 2016; Cook, 2016). In response to this, Canagarajah (1999) strongly emphasized that the popularity of English as a global language has brought about problems of linguistic imperialism and cultural hegemony around the world. Western cultures, languages, and even races are often considered superior and even regarded as. 政治大. “norm.” This linguistic, racial, and cultural discrimination against NNESTs can be. 立. both implicitly and explicitly presented in such social discourses as recruitment. ‧ 國. 學. advertisements. For example, Reuker and Ives (2005) analyzed the discourses of. ‧. NESTs recruitment on the Internet and found that the ideal candidate for such. sit. y. Nat. positions are young, White, enthusiastic native speakers of English from inner-circle. io. er. countries. Similarly, Appleby (2016) discovered that privilege of NESTs in Japan is. al. associated with masculinity, whiteness (western origin), native English-speaking. n. iv n C ability, and assumed heterosexuality. Concerning Aneja (2016) h e n g cthish phenomenon, i U argued that the idea of a “native speaker” is a socially constructed concept that attaches certain race, accent, and nationality to the image of an English teacher, a process she termed “(non)native-speakering.” The numerous works published by major TESOL associations opposing the discriminatory recruitment process have only contributed to minimal change (Kamhi-Stein, 2016). Moreover, the NS-NNS dichotomy is no longer doing justice to teachers’ rich linguistic backgrounds, especially in the highly mobile modern society (Ellis, 2013). This binary view has overlooked NNESTs’ multiple identities as bilinguals,. 8. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(18) multilinguals, or World English speakers (Park, 2012). The new term “multilingual teachers,” therefore, comes into use with a view to fully representing the complexity of teacher identity (Ellis, 2004). Higgins and Ponte (2017) discuss further that, to acknowledge students’ multilingual repertoire, it is an essential priority to appreciate the teacher’s multilingual identities. Most discussions concerning the value of the teacher’s multilingualism, however, only take place in the ESL contexts. The awareness of a teacher’s multilingual identity is only recognized in places where Kachru (1985) defined as the inner circle and the outer circle. Literature on the expanding circle and EFL teachers. 政治大. is thin; therefore, more data is needed to build our knowledge base and fill the gap.. 立. The EFL context, or the expanding circle in Krachu’s (1985) terms, has been. ‧ 國. 學. impacted by the NS-NNS dichotomy and NEST-NNEST labeling, causing NNESTs’. ‧. anxiety of establishing legitimacy as a qualified teacher (Reis, 2011). It is a traditional. sit. y. Nat. belief that native-like proficiency is the assumed goal of language learning, resulting. io. er. in NESTs being given the priority of employment (Mahboob & Golden 2013). Local. al. NNESTs working as coordinators among NESTs, supervisors, students and parents. n. iv n C often find it “tiring” to cooperate h with e ninexperienced g c h i U and even unqualified NESTs. (Luo, 2007). However, inequalities in job opportunities, payment, and workload still exist. NNESTs often have to “do more” but get paid less than NESTs (Tsai, 2002). Furthermore, NNESTs are recurrently viewed as not dispossessing the ownership of English and therefore positioned as “assistants” of NESTs. In Tseng’s (2017) study of preservice NNESTs in Taiwan, for instance, the young teacher trainees underwent identity struggles when working with NES American teachers in a service-learning project. Seeing the contradiction of TESOL professionalism and the reality, Wang and Lin (2013) argued that such a phenomenon might lead to “the unintended. 9. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(19) consequence” of impairing NNESTs’ identities. If the English language should be equally shared by all users and speakers (Norton, 1997), it is fair to say that NNESTs nowadays are still “deprived” of their ownership of English. Despite the insightful comments on EFL NNEST identity formation and Native Speaker Fallacy in the expanding circle, most studies focus on local NNESTs, defined by Tang (1997) as local teachers sharing the students mother tongue and backgrounds. “Foreign” NNESTs are absent from the literature. In other words, international teachers in most EFL contexts are assumed to be NESTs, which is anything but a comprehensive view of the status quo. NNES international teachers is. 政治大. an overlooked part of the big picture. Figure 1 presents the obscurity of NNES. 立. international teachers in current literature. Therefore, this study aims to examine the. ‧ 國. 學. experiences of NNES international teachers from the perspectives of positioning. Nat. n. al. er. io. sit. y. ‧. theory, which will be further explained in the following section.. Ch. engchi. i Un. v. Figure 1. Obscurity of NNES international teachers’ place in literature. 10. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(20) Positioning Theory Many earlier studies have adopted the lens of positioning theory to analyze teacher identity. For example, Colomer (2015) investigated how Spanish language teachers in the USA are positioned as “ad hoc” ESL teachers in the situation of emergent bilinguals (EB). When more and more Spanish-speaking immigrant students entered the school community, Spanish language teachers are often pushed towards the front line to transition EBs to the English-speaking environment. Arvaja (2016) also discovered how the “true self” of a university teacher contradicted what was socially positioned as the “role” of a teacher. Through constant push-and-pull between. 政治大. the personal and professional sides of identity, the teacher finally managed to strike a. 立. balance. Furthermore, Kayi-Aydar’s (2015) study on pre-service ESL teachers. ‧ 國. 學. suggested that teachers’ self-positioning had a profound influence on their agency and. ‧. pedagogical decisions. While the participating teachers saw themselves as the. sit. y. Nat. “bridge” and “guide” between the students and the English language, their mentors. io. er. adopted more “laid-back” and flexible approaches. This resulted in their great effort. al. in carrying out well-structured and intensive lessons which conflicted with their. n. iv n C mentors’ practices. For anotherh example, i UViesca’s (2016) studied how three e n g Kim c h and reading-intervention teachers positioned their emergent-bilingual students. Similarly, different positioning led to different investments and classroom practices. The more positively the teacher viewed the students’ potential, the more effectively the teaching approaches were implemented. Last but not least, Vanassche and Kelchtermans (2014) reported three types of teacher educator positioning: pedagogues, reflective teachers, and subject teachers. The above-mentioned empirical studies show how positioning theory enables us to explore the perspectives, lenses, and “vantage points” that a teacher stands at. 11. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(21) and how they acknowledge the teaching context. Behind each positioning are different beliefs about the teacher’s duties and roles in the classroom. Once a teacher adopts a specific position, this positioning would deeply influence their agency and investment in the classroom (Davies and Harré, 1990). To put it simply, the ways in which a teacher looks at their job in a specific way and makes certain decisions about “dos and don’ts” in the classroom are closely related to their professional identity and positioning. With a view to clarifying the “place” of NNES international teacher in Taiwan, especially in the current condition where they are vaguely situated between. 政治大. NES international teachers and NNES local teachers, this study explored NNES. 立. international teachers’ experiences and self-positioning through the following. ‧ 國. 學. inquiries.. ‧. Research Questions. io. al. er. teachers? How does their positioning change over time?. sit. y. Nat. 1. How do NNES international teachers position themselves as professional. n. 2. What shapes such changes in NNES international teachers’ positioning across time and space?. Ch. engchi. 12. i Un. v. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(22) CHAPTER THREE Methodology Research Design: A Qualitative Case Study As the issue of NNES international teachers were relatively less explored in language teacher identity research, this study employed the instrumental case study approach. Instead of simply understanding the case itself, an instrumental case study was intended to clarify and pinpoint specific issues, problems, and theories that lie within (Hood, 2009). The purpose of this study was to explore the self-positioning of NNES international teachers in Taiwan with a focus on their experience, perception,. 政治大. and reflection. Therefore, the instrumental case study approach was considered the. 立. most appropriate to apply this qualitative research method for locating the fluid,. ‧ 國. 學. complex NNES international teacher identity and positioning.. ‧. Research Context: Private Sectors in Taiwan. sit. y. Nat. This study was situated in private language institutes in Taiwan, such as. io. er. children language schools, cram schools, tutoring, online programs, and language. al. centers. The employment of international teachers, the so-called “foreign teachers” (外. n. iv n C h ebentraced 國老師) in Mandarin Chinese, could h i toUthe official foreign teacher g c back. recruitment policy in 2003. Following the steps of Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET), English Program in Korea (EPIK), and Native English Teacher Scheme (NET) in Hong Kong, the Ministry of Education in Taiwan officially launched the Foreign English Teacher Recruitment Program (FETRP), and had been issuing special funds to local governments and schools for hiring foreign teachers (Chou, 2003). It was hoped that an “English Only” international classroom setting could facilitate learning. Much earlier than the official movement, international teachers were already spotted in many private institutes (Lin & Chien, 2003; Ting,. 13. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(23) 2001). In fact, foreign teachers at “cram schools” took up 15.7% of the international workforce, which was placed second among all the job categories (Workforce Development Agency, Ministry of Labor, ROC, 2017; Chiang, 2017). They often worked with local teachers in team teaching programs at children’s language schools in order to adhere to different learners’ needs and to combine the advantages of both NESTs and NNESTs (Tsai, 2011). They also taught at language centers, study-abroad agencies, online language programs, and in private homes as tutors. International teachers had become an integral part of English language classrooms in Taiwan. Participants. 政治大. This study invited two NNES international English teachers as participants.. 立. The term “NNES international English teacher” was used to identify English teachers. ‧ 國. 學. in Taiwan who were foreigners and did not speak English as their first language. In. ‧. other words, they are different from local Taiwanese teachers who shared the. sit. y. Nat. students’ home culture and mother tongue. Meanwhile, they are unlike the majority of. io. er. NESTs who came from inner-circle English-speaking countries. Figures 2 illustrates. al. the undefined position of NNES international teacher in the Taiwanese school. n. iv n C U the two type of context. The horizontal two-sided arrow hinethe n gmiddle c h icontrasts teachers. The two smaller vertical arrows indicate the linguistic backgrounds of local and foreign teachers in Taiwan. The dash line cutting the image in two shows the shaded area that NNES international teachers belong to. The thin two-sided arrow across the picture suggests how NNES international teachers have overlapping identities with the two common types of teachers.. 14. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(24) Figure 2. Obscurity of NNES international teachers’ place in Taiwan. 立. 政治大. The two participants of this study were Jeannie from Jordan and Heidi from. ‧ 國. 學. Holland. Pseudonyms for the participants were created based on the first letters of. ‧. their countries. They both identified themselves as non-native English speakers from non-English-speaking countries, which had become a source of conflict for them in. y. Nat. io. sit. the workplace. They both lived in Taiwan during the time of research and had four. n. al. er. years of teaching experiences here. They volunteered to participate after hearing about. Ch. i Un. v. the researcher’s plan and seeing the researcher’s recruitment post on Facebook.. engchi. Because NNES international teachers are rather rare in Taiwan, which makes it easy for them to get identified, the researcher chose not to reveal specifically her relationship with each of the participant. This is done to avoid the higher possibility of exposure and the following violation of their privacy. The exact locations of the schools and institutes where the participants studied and worked are also kept confidential. All the names of the language centers and stakeholders were pseudonyms. Table 1 is an overview of the participants’ backgrounds.. 15. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(25) Table 1 Background of the participants First Language. Teaching Experience. Jeannie Jordan. Arabic. 4 years in Taiwan. • • •. Children’s language school Private tutoring Online teaching. Heidi. Dutch. 4 years in Taiwan. • • •. Language center for adults Private tutoring Online teaching. Name. Nationality. Holland. Workplace/Institute(s). 政治大 multilingual family to a Jordanian 立father and a Taiwanese mother, which led to her Jeannie came from Jordan. Arabic is her mother tongue. She was born in a. ‧ 國. 學. growing up listening to a mixed use of Arabic, English, Chinese, and the Taiwanese dialect. She is used to the constant code-switching and mixing of several languages.. ‧. This had probably nurtured her great interests in foreign languages and cultures. With. Nat. sit. y. English being one of her favorite school subjects and a strength, her mother hired an. n. al. er. io. American tutor who would come after school to help polish up her speaking skills. In. i Un. v. college, she declared a major in foreign languages to develop her professionalism in. Ch. engchi. the English language. She came to Taiwan to pursue a Master’s degree in TESOL after three years of teaching experience back home. During data collection of this study, she worked part-time at various children’s language schools, taught language courses to adults occasionally, and also gave online classes. Heidi was from Holland and spoke Dutch as her first language. She has always been interested in the English language since she was little. She found it a useful tool to access more information in the world. For example, there was always much more data in English on Wikipedia than in Dutch. She loves to read English articles and talk to people online. She is very confident in her English skills. With this passion in. 16. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(26) languages, she studied English and French translation for two years in college. At the time when this study was conducted, she was studying for a second bachelor’s degree in the English Language at a Taiwanese university. Before coming to Taiwan, she already had four years of full-time English teaching experience in China. In Taiwan, she also works part-time as an English tutor and as lecturers at private language institutes. She mainly teaches grammar, business English, and conversational skills to adult students. The researcher got acquainted with the two participants in graduate school classes and in online teacher’s forums. The three of them were all members of an. 政治大. English teacher’s community and shared similar experiences of teaching English to. 立. teenagers and adults in Taiwan. The participants’ unique backgrounds aroused the. ‧ 國. 學. researcher’s curiosity and prompted her to go up to them and inquire about their. ‧. experiences. Learning about the ideas of this research project, they also agreed to. sit. y. Nat. participate and provide helpful information. To protect their privacy, their individual. io. Data Collection. er. connection with the researcher will not be specified in this paper.. al. n. iv n C U Data were collected mainly and semi-structured h ethrough h i narratives n g c oral. interviews. Before the commencement of the research project, the researcher invited the participants to meals to introduce them to the study, to acquire some preliminary understanding of their cultural backgrounds, and establish trust-based partnerships. The very first conversations with the participants were carried out in a casual and relaxing manner and took around one to two hours each. To fully investigate the participants’ self-positioning, the “actual” interviews were conducted for around three to four times with each of them. Part of Jeannie’s data were collected earlier during the pilot study applying grounded theory in November and December, 2016. The. 17. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(27) result of the pilot study suggested that it was necessary to pay more attention to the issues of NNES international teachers in Taiwan. Therefore, the researcher decided to adopt instrumental case study as the new research model and focus on teacher’s positioning in this current study. In addition to interview transcripts, the participants’ online teacher profiles, work documents, work emails, institute webpages, and text responses to the researcher were also collected for triangulation. These references were reviewed and confirmed by the participants to ensure privacy. The interview protocol was designed based on Carspecken’s (1996) model where topic domains, lead-off questions, follow-up questions, and covert categories. 政治大. structured the conversation. Given that factors of identity formation were usually. 立. illustrated through the story-telling process (Pennington & Richards, 2016), the first. ‧ 國. 學. interview opened up a space for the participants to narrate their overall teaching. ‧. experiences in Taiwan in their own words. The second interview explored their. sit. y. Nat. reflexive positioning as a professional English teacher, digging into their linguistic. io. al. er. and professional backgrounds. The third interview probed into their interactions with. n. stakeholders, i.e., supervisors, colleagues, students, and parents. Please refer to. C Appendix 1 for the complete protocol. h. engchi. i Un. v. English was used as the major language and primary means of communication during the interviews because it was the common language between the researcher and participants. Sometimes the participants code-switched when they narrated the experiences of interacting with local Taiwanese stakeholders. They quoted the actual words in Chinese that they were being told for the researcher to clarify the meaning. Researcher’s Role and Position Throughout the entire research process, the researcher positioned herself as a fellow teacher, supportive friend, and loyal listener. Sharing a TESOL background,. 18. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(28) NNEST identity, and international experience, the researcher was able to relate to the participants’ experiences, perceptions, and inner struggles. As she grew up in Taiwan learning American English, she suffered from the anxiety of being a NNEST and was caught in a dilemma to internalize a more inclusive view on English. Though acknowledging the issues of ideology construction, cultural hegemony, and linguistic imperialism, the researcher found herself subconsciously identifying with the innercircle countries, attaching more importance to the “standard” English that she had been taught. She pursued the NS norm as her ultimate goal of English learning and redeemed it an indicator for her personal growth and success in language learning.. 政治大. There was a long journey ahead for her to recognize more blind spots and change the. 立. old habits. Just as her participants, she also had to reconcile with the intension of self-. ‧ 國. 學. acceptance and self-knowledge. Conducting this research, therefore, was a valuable. ‧. experience for the researcher to make peace with her inner struggles and come to. sit. y. Nat. terms with the reality. During the interviews and follow-up conversations about the. io. er. research process, it is perceived by the researcher that the participants considered her. al. a peer and fellow in the TESOL field who were on their side reviewing and re-. n. iv n C U study as an opportunity to let exploring their stories together.h They e nthought g c hofi this their voice be heard and to further influence public opinions as well as official policies. The narrative process urged them to reorganize and reflect on their experiences. The interaction with the researcher also prompted them to understand more about the Taiwanese learning culture. After reading the drafts of their stories presented in the study, they expressed great interest in the issues to be discussed. They also became more aware of their growth and changes which they unconsciously underwent. The entire research process was carried out with great dynamics and. 19. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(29) rapport between the researcher and the participants who kept in touch and continued to be friends afterwards. Data Analysis The data collected from oral narratives and semi-structured interviews were analyzed in three main stages. First, the narrative and interview transcripts were repeatedly read through in a holistic manner and checked for critical issues and events. The second phase was coding drawing on the theoretical framework and following Carspecken’s (1996) coding procedure. After the initial coding of the data, sub-codes and categories were generated in order to identify patterns and similarities. 政治大. in the participants’ perception and experience. Third, a coding scheme was created to. 立. develop the themes for further discussion. The results presented in summaries of each. ‧ 國. 學. participant’s encounters with several quotations of their own words to better illustrate. sit. y. Nat. Trustworthiness. ‧. positioning.. io. er. The researcher discussed the overall design of the study with her advisor. al. beforehand, ensuring that the investigation was carried out properly. All transcription,. n. iv n C U carefully reviewed coding, and summarization of the data h were e nthoroughly g c h i and. several times by the researcher to ensure completeness and accuracy of the findings. Summaries of the results were sent to the participants for their comments and feedback to avoid misinterpretation. To bring to the surface the researcher’s personal stance and influence on the project, she also kept a reflective journal during data collection and analysis. Last but not least, the researcher consulted her peer researchers during the time of data collection and analysis for valuable insights. The peer researchers were graduate students working on qualitative studies as well. Their duties were: 1) reviewing the coding scheme, 2) reading the researcher’s summaries. 20. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(30) and interpretation of the results, and 3) pointing out potential bias, vagueness, and misinterpretation. Ethical Issues The researcher was very much aware of her responsibility of respecting the research participants and to be protective of their rights. Rallis and Rossman (2009) proposed three fundamental ethical issues for qualitative research in Applied Linguistics: 1) Privacy and Confidentiality; 2) Deception and Consent; and 3) Trust and Betrayal. Violation of these principles would not only put participants’ careers and personal lives at risk, but also harm the researcher’s relationships with them. The. 政治大. following conditions were ensured throughout the study. A) Participants clearly. 立. understood the purpose of this study. B) They became part of the study voluntarily. ‧ 國. 學. and were absolutely free to express any discomfort in the process. C) All personal. ‧. information and interview data were treated as confidential and selectively presented.. sit. y. Nat. Any detail that would run the risk of disclosing the participants’ true identities was. io. er. concealed, removed from data, and deliberately made vague, especially for such rare. al. cases as NNES international teachers. D) Participants had the rights to refuse to. n. iv n C answer any question, ask to stophrecording, i U from the study. E) Everybody e n g corhwithdraw who was part of the investigation had completed an informed consent form and kept a copy of it (See Appendix 2).. 21. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(31) 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. 22. i Un. v. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(32) CHAPTER FOUR Results This chapter presents the stories of the two participants separately, outlining different stages of their English teaching careers, their perceptions of the industries, and their self-positionings at each phase. The first section unfolds Jeannie’s experiences in Jordan and Taiwan. The second section narrates Heidi’s migration from Holland to China and finally to Taiwan. The timelines of their stories were sequenced and divided based on time and location. Case Profile: Jeannie Tutoring in Jordan.. 立. 政治大. At the beginning, I didn't wanna be a teacher. I always wanted to be a. ‧ 國. 學. translator, and I was... after I graduated, because I was a fresh graduate, it. ‧. was hard for me to find a job that required no experience with a good pay, so. sit. y. Nat. the only people who actually called was the institute iLanguages (iL), where I. io. er. started my teaching career, although I kept thinking in my heart that, “it’s not. al. the job I'm going to be continuing, and I'm going to be taking this job just for. n. iv n C a short period until I find h the i U wanted,” which was translating. e njobgI've c halways (Pilot Interview 1) As a fresh college graduate entering the workplace, Jeannie received her first job offer as an English tutor and learning consultant, which unexpectedly determined her career path. Originally targeting at the translation industry, she never thought about being a teacher. Due to her limited work experience and some financial considerations, she took up this job at an international company called iLanguages (iL), which provided self-study language programs and materials. Little did she know. 23. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(33) that this “safety job” at this “transitional period” of her life would arouse her inner passion for teaching. She revealed this new discovery of herself by saying: Actually, during the time at iLanguages I really liked my... like I've really loved... I started liking the job. I've started liking the teaching field, and I felt so close to my students and I was impressed by my ability to reach to their minds and to find out what the problem was and to improve it, like to fix it. (Pilot Interview 1) Jeannie found that she was able to work with the students’ learning conditions and explain the language concepts intelligibly to the students. Teaching English gave her a strong sense of achievement.. 立. 政治大. Soon, Jeannie’s first company encountered some suspicion, but this crisis was. ‧ 國. 學. later turned into an opportunity that paved a new path for her. At first, iLanguages. ‧. advocated the idea of learning a second language “naturally” in the same way as the. sit. y. Nat. first language. The students purchased books and CDs to read and listen to texts on. io. er. their own. It was the company’s core value that one could gradually and easily pick. al. up the language this way. However, due to the very limited learning effects and. n. iv n C U team that Jeannie increasing complaints from the customers, customer h ethe ng c h i service belonged to decided to offer traditional language courses. Standing at the front line facing the customers, Jeannie and her fellow consultants asked for a reform. They requested new white boards in every meeting room, and started gathering students with similar learning difficulties in the same session. The original one-one-one tutoring became a small class. Jeannie’s role as a language consultant who rather passively answered students’ questions on request was changed to a more active one as an English tutor. Students made appointments with her team and were grouped into the same class based on their levels and ages. With each individual or group class, she. 24. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(34) taught the content in the self-study materials and sometimes customized the lesson for special needs. She started to like teaching, especially when she found that she could make a difference, helping the students with their learning difficulties and solving the problems together, which she explained by saying: [W]hen I saw that I was able to make a change in the students, like a student who came [from] knowing nothing about English to forming correct sentences, that was the cherry on the top of the cake for me. (Pilot Interview 1) For Jeannie, the best thing about this job was to see the students’ improvement. The. 政治大. teaching and learning process was interesting and inspiring, and the good learning. 立. outcome of the students was even more heart-warming to her.. ‧ 國. 學. First-year teaching was no easy task but a rewarding experience. Jeannie. ‧. became one of the most popular teachers whose schedule was always overbooked.. sit. y. Nat. Even though she was far from being “perfect” and sometimes encountered things she. io. er. did not know, she would be honest about her limited knowledge and get back to the. al. students later with a well-prepared answer. She explained in the interview:. n. iv n C Because it was my firsth experience, questions I've been asked, especially e n g c some hi U from my adult students, that I didn't know the answer to, which had me learn more, like try to find the answer. I ended up with a very good knowledge of sentence structures and why in details and why am I using this sentence instead of that, why am I using this specific helping verb, not the other one, and so on. So my knowledge started, at that point, my knowledge in the mechanisms in English started to expand more and more and I was getting more and more into the language itself. […] I’ve learned from my students so much. I've learned so much from their questions which I didn't know the. 25. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(35) answers to. It was an embarrassment at the beginning because as a teacher I wanted to tell, to seem as if I knew everything, you know. I don't want them to feel that, “Oh, the teacher herself doesn't know.” But for me at that time, I would honestly tell my students that I don't know how to explain this to you in a professional way, in an educated way. I just received it as a learner of English. I just received it as it is without asking whys, and that's why I'm gonna have to write your questions down and then answer you next week. (Pilot Interview 1) All the challenges she received from the students turned out to be beneficial to her. 政治大. personal growth. Her knowledge of the English language expanded as she dug deeper. 立. into the language forms and rules in order to give her students a satisfying answer.. ‧ 國. 學. She transitioned from an English language user to an English teacher who had to re-. ‧. examine vocabulary and grammar from a learner’s perspective. One year passed, and. sit. y. Nat. Jeannie left the job with a renewed understanding of English and a brand new identity. io. Teaching in Jordan.. er. as an English language teacher.. al. n. iv n C So I decided to continue because h Iewas n gable c hto ido,Uto make a change, and I had seen the change. I decided to continue in the teaching field and I continued working as a teacher at White Sea Academy (WSA) for another two years. That makes a total of three years in Jordan. (Pilot Interview 1) Jeannie’s teaching career continued to bloom as she took up a new job as an elementary school teacher at White Sea Academy (WSA). She worked at the international department, teaching international students and overseas returnees. Without a teacher education background, she encountered many challenges. The first. 26. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(36) one was curriculum planning. Highly-pressured by the school administrators, she had to make lesson plans and write reports during winter breaks and summer vacations. All of these documents were carefully reviewed before being approved, and all teachers were evaluated on a regular basis. Working at WSA was undoubtedly an intense and stressful experience, but she reflected positively on those days by stating, The point is that during these two years I’ve learned so much. I've had ups and downs. I almost quit at times and other times I was so proud of myself and I earned a certificate for being the best teacher of the month, twice, and I earned a bonus for the hard work. And having too much to be thankful for, it. 政治大. made me really satisfied and I'm sure now I'm very... My current status of. 立. being an experienced teacher makes me really happy to think of all the ups. ‧ 國. 學. and downs I've been through to reach here right now.. ‧. (Pilot Interview 1). sit. y. Nat. The experiences at WSA solidified Jeannie’s teacher identity. As she overcame all the. io. er. strict requirements and unexpected problems in the classroom, she became a more. al. experienced and capable teacher.. n. iv n C The second challenge for hher i Ucomplicated aspects of teaching e nwasg the c hmore. and learning. In contrast to working at a language center, teachers at a regular school like WSA took on more responsibilities as educators. Jeannie had to deal with other issues that influenced teaching and learning. In the beginning, the students’ behavioral problems were troublesome to her. She had difficulty maintaining a quiet class in which students were well-seated and ready to learn. She had to turn to the school counselor-psychologist for help, and that was how she learned a lot about the cognitive and emotional development of children. She also spent much time trying to understand each individual’s family background and personality so that she could deal. 27. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(37) with their problems. In terms of the affective aspect, Jeannie was very concerned about the students’ motivation and confidence. She hoped all students would feel a sense of accomplishment in class. Therefore, she customized her lessons and tests for different levels of learners. She developed a reward system as well to encourage the students who had made improvements. However, she soon discovered the social aspect of the learners’ identities that was beyond the scope of the classroom. In the international department of WSA, Jeannie faced a more diverse student body. In her homeroom class, most students had an early start in English learning. Many of them were returnees from English-speaking countries, and some spoke the language in a. 政治大. nativelike manner. With both native and non-native English-speaking students in. 立. class, the children would compare and compete with one another. The biggest. ‧ 國. 學. problem for Jeannie was the NNES students’ inferiority complex and the NES. ‧. students’ arrogance. She stated firmly that,. sit. y. Nat. Jordanians, or the Arabic students in general, they always thought of the. io. er. native speakers of English [as] the better students in English. I always needed. al. to remind them that it’s not necessary… like grammatical... I had to point this. n. iv n C they could gain h eself-confidence n g c h i Uin the presence of the. out to them so that. native speakers in our class. I had to point out that - it might be embarrassing to the native speakers in the class, but I felt the need to point out that “Even if he is a native speaker, his grammar is still not that good.” And I pointed out many times that - there was a very smart Jordanian students, and I always pointed out, “You do even better than the natives in the class.” And I always told my students that “This is a lesson to all of you, not because of the nationality but because of the way you study.” (Pilot Interview 2 Transcript 2). 28. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(38) In the face of NES students’ conceitedness in their identity and NNES students’ complaints about the “unfairness” of learning success, Jeannie took it seriously to convince her students that being a nonnative speaker of English was not necessarily a disadvantage which might keep you falling behind, and that being a native speaker did not assure perfect grades. She especially did not want the NNES students to look up to their NES peers. By showing them evidence of test scores, she expected them to acknowledge their strengths and weaknesses. While the NES students were ahead of others in terms of pronunciation and vocabulary, the NNES students were more proficient at grammar. She would even share her own experiences that she learned so. 政治大. much more from her NNES professors in college than she did from the NES teachers. 立. because the former could relate to her learning difficulties.. ‧ 國. 學. Boosting the students’ self-confidence and giving them a sense of competence. ‧. were an important duty for Jeannie as a teacher. Protecting NNES students from the. sit. y. Nat. frustration caused by the existing native speaker fallacy, she would emphasize the fact. io. er. that they could actually outperform NES students. On the other hand, with the NES. al. students carried away by their privilege, she would be particularly critical of their. n. iv n C language errors. At the same time, h eshen would i U both types of students to g c hencourage. work harder and do better by praising their accomplishments and good performances. Jeannie used different strategies to strike a balance between the social misconception and her ideal learning atmosphere. Comparing to teaching the English language at iLanguages, Jeannie confronted more difficult tasks and complicated issues educating children at White Sea Academy. Struggling through the two years and growing into all the challenging situations, she gained rich experiences in teaching and well matured as a professional teacher.. 29. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(39) Leaving Jordan and exploring possibilities in Taiwan. Actually, after these two years were over at WSA, I thought to myself: “What if this isn’t the thing I want to do all my life? Because I've never tried anything else, right?” So, I decided to go to Taiwan and explore my options. (Pilot Interview 1) At this point of her life, Jeannie felt lost about her career path. While the school administration planned to promote her to the middle school level, the young teacher in her twenties felt the need to take a break. She was uncertain about whether the teaching profession was her “true calling” despite the very rewarding past and a. 政治大. promising future ahead. She decided to seek an international experience and explore. 立. more possibilities in her life. With roots and connections on her mother’s side,. ‧ 國. 學. Jeannie took an adventure east to Taiwan. She worked in several different industries. ‧. including telemarketing and hospitality, and she came to realize that the teaching filed. y. sit. io. er. about the decision,. Nat. was probably where she belonged. She still wanted to be a teacher. She explained. al. So I just kept on trying new positions that I'd never tried before, and that was. n. iv n C when I was a hundred percent sure h ethat n gteaching c h i isUwhat I’m gonna be doing. the rest of my life because I've discovered that working at an office, the office job and eight hours a day facing a screen is not my thing. I need to interact. I need to move. I cannot be sitting all day long doing my stuff, like seated, so um... with all the downs I've faced while teaching, I think the ups are more worthy to be looking at, in the teaching field. (Pilot Interview 1). 30. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.

(40) For more choices and opportunities, she applied for the Taiwanese citizenship, which also left her with a crucial decision to make: working as an English teacher in Jordan or Taiwan? She ended up choosing the latter.. Teaching in Taiwan. When I first came here [to teach] I was totally fearless. I wasn't scared, but after starting with my first or second week, I got so scared and I got so frustrated and I did not know what to do - I was like lost in the desert. I didn't know what to do.. 立. 政治大. (Interview 1). A new chapter of Jeannie’s teaching career and life started in Taiwan, where. ‧ 國. 學. she has transitioned to a different role and undergone the great pain of identity crisis.. ‧. Teaching English in Taiwan as a “foreign” teacher at a children’s language school. sit. y. Nat. exposed her to the more complicated aspects of the language teaching profession.. io. er. Unlike simply being like a psychiatrist/therapist to deal with the students’ learning. al. problems in Jordan, an international teacher in Taiwan confronts more cultural and. n. iv n C affective factors in the classroom. on the problems at that time: h eShen elaborated gchi U. [The students] refuse to speak up because they are afraid of ME because I would be very judgmental of their English or maybe they thought that, ‘I could not understand what she's saying because she looks different.’ Not because they don't really understand. It's just because I look different so they just refuse to listen. […] I started off trying to be their friend, but it didn't work because of the language barrier. So being the sweet teacher who would like to be your friend did not work - it actually worked with the Jordanians. I was the friendly but strict teacher, but with the Taiwanese, I couldn't do that, because. 31. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000350.