Iranian novice English teachers’ agency construction: the complexity dynamic/system perspective

• Main Authors: Farzad Rostami, Mohammad Hosssein Yousefi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SpringerOpen 2020-03-01
• Series: Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education
• Subjects: Teacher agency; Beginning teacher; Complexity theory; Thematic analysis
• Online Access: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40862-020-00082-2

Abstract This study drew on qualitative research and focused on the exercise of agency among the novice English teachers in the Iranian context. Fifteen novice English teachers who have been teaching English in private language institutes in Baneh, Iran were invited through snowball sampling. The analyses of semi-structured and focus group interviews, from the complexity dynamic/system perspective, revealed that teachers practice agency employing dialogic feedback, positioning, and critical incidents. The results further indicated that teachers made a learning community to make the right decision, predict future incidents, and develop their professional agency. The analyses provide implications for the policymakers, teacher educators, and curriculum designers to construct a better opportunity for beginning teachers to become highly-qualified in their careers.