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Secondary Education Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2022 2022.

High School Teachers’ Perceptions of Promoting Student Motivation and Creativity through Career Education , Kyeonghyeon Park

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Persistence Like a Mother: Nursing the Narrative toward Doctoral Completion in English Education—A Poetic Autoethnography , Krista S. Mallo

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

The Effects of Augmented Reality (AR)-infused Idiom Material on Iranian Students’ Idiom Achievements, Motivation, and Perceptions , Babak Khoshnevisan

How the Use of Learner-Generated Images and Authentic Materials Affects the Comprehension and Production of Vivid Phrasal Idioms in L2 English Learners , Melissa Larsen-Walker

Explore L2 Chinese Learners' Motivation through L2MSS: Selves, Mental Imagery, and Pedagogical Implications , Yao Liu

Exploring Adult Indigenous Latinxs’ English Language Identity Expressions and Agency: A MALP®-informed Photovoice Study , Andrea Enikő Lypka

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Illuminating Changes in Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions about Teaching Elementary Mathematicsin an Introductory Methods Course , Elaine Cerrato

International Teaching Assistants’ Perceptions of English and Spanish Language Use at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez , Edward G. Contreras Santiago

The Effects and Students’ Views of Teachers' Coded Written Corrective Feedback: A Multiple-Case Study of Online Multiple-draft Chinese Writing , Jining Han

Promoting L2 Idiomatic Competence among Chinese College Students via WeChat , Zhengjie Li

EFL Student Collaborative Writing in Google Docs: A Multiple Case Study , Quang Nam Pham

A New Literacy Coach and Two English Language Arts Teachers Learn Together: A Narrative Inquiry , Christiana C. Succar

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Exploring Mathematics Teacher Education Fieldwork Experiences through Storytelling , Melody Jeane Elrod

Cultivating Peace via Language Teaching: Pre-Service Teachers' Beliefs and Emotions in an EFL Argentine Practicum , María Matilde Olivero

Perspectives of AP U.S. History Teachers in Title I Schools , Mark Lance Rowland

What Does It Mean to Be a Service-Learning Teacher? - An Autoethnography , Kristy Causey Verdi

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Urban English Language Arts Teachers’ Stories of Technology Use: A Narrative Inquiry , Bridget Abbas

Foreign Language College Achievement and the Infusion of Three Selected Web 2.0 Technologies: A Mixed Method Case Study , Eulises Avellaneda

Educators' Oral Histories of Tampa Bay Area Writing Project Involvement , Margaret Hoffman Saturley

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Student-teacher Interaction Through Online Reflective Journals in a High School Science Classroom: What Have We Learned? , Megan Elizabeth Ehlers

Facilitating Motivation in a Virtual World Within a Second Language Acquisition Classroom , Andrew Warren Gump

IWitness and Student Empathy: Perspectives from USC Shoah Foundation Master Teachers , Brandon Jerome Haas

Job Satisfaction of Adjunct Faculty Who Teach Standardized Online Courses , Claudia A. Ruiz

The Common Core State Standards: Its Reported Effects on the Instructional Decision Making of Middle School Social Studies Teachers , Tracy Tilotta

The Effects of Blog-supported Collaborative Writing on Writing Performance, Writing Anxiety and Perceptions of EFL College Students in Taiwan , Hui-Ju Wu

The Influence of Types of Homework on Opportunity to Learn and Students' Mathematics Achievement: Examples from the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project , Yiting Yu

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Picturing the Reader: English Education Pre-service Teachers' Beliefs About Reading Using Photovoice , Michael Dicicco

Balanced Artistry: Describing and Explaining Expert Teacher Practice as Adaptive Expertise , Nina Graham

A Phenomenological Study of the Experiences of Higher Education Students with Disabilities , Allen J. Heindel

The Effect of Teachers' Epistemological Beliefs on Practice , Milton David Huling

Presentation of Civic Identity in Online High School Social Studies Discussion Forums , Holly Mcbride

In Our Image: The Attempted Reshaping of the Cuban Education System by the United States Government, 1898-1912 , Mario John Minichino

The Effects of Emotive Reasoning on Secondary School Students' Decision-Making in the Context of Socioscientific Issues , Wardell Anthony Powell

Reflections in the Classroom: Perspectives on Teaching for Social Justice from Secondary Social Studies Educators , Gregory Lee Samuels

A Case Study of the Roles and Perceptions of Writing Coaches , Amy June Schechter

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Curriculum Gatekeeping in Global Education: Global Educators' Perspectives , Robert Wayne Bailey

An Investigation of the Effects of an Authentic Science Experience Among Urban High School Students , Angela Chapman

Social Studies Teachers in an Evaluative Role: The Peer Evaluator Experience in the Accountability Era , Martha Barnes Ford

English Language Teachers' Learning to Teach with Technology through Participation in an Online Community of Practice: A Netnography of Webheads in Action , Derya Kulavuz-Onal

Assessing Competing Demands and Charting a Course: A Phenomenological Study of Advanced Placement U.S. History Teachers' Decision Making and Course Planning , Kerry Dean Poole

School Library Media Specialists' Perceptions of Collaboration, Leadership and Technology , Jozan Maria Powell

Preparing Teachers to Apply Research to Mathematics Teaching: Using Design-Based Research to Define and Assess the Process of Evidence-Based Practice , Sarah Van Ingen

From Limited-English-Proficient to Educator: Perspectives on Three Spanish-English Biliteracy Journeys , Elizabeth Visedo

A Case Study of Peer Review Practices of Four Adolescent English Language Learners in Face-to-Face and Online Contexts , Oksana Vorobel

Intermediate-Level Chinese Language Learners' Social Communication in Chinese on Facebook: A Mixed Methods Study , Shenggao Wang

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Member Perceptions of Informal Science Institutions Graduate Certificate Program: Case Study of a Community of Practice , Lois A. Ball

Team-Teaching Experiences of a Mathematician and a Mathematics Teacher Educator: An Interpretative Phenomenological Case Study , Sarah K. Bleiler

The Impact of Socioscientific Issues Based Curriculum Involving Environmental Outdoor Education for Fourth Grade Students , Karey Burek

A Phenomenological Study of Teaching Endangered Languages Online: Perspectives from Nahua and Mayan Educators. , Dustin De Felice

"Are We Supposed to be the Guy on the Horse?" A Case Study on the Use of Political Cartoons in the American History Classroom , James Manuel Duran

Teachers' Narratives of Experience with Social Class , Natalie Elizabeth Keefer

Multiple Intelligences in the Text: Examining the Presence of MI Tasks in the Annotated Teacher's Editions of Four High School United States History Textbooks , Carey Mullican

Four English Language Learners' Experiences and Strategy Use in Learning Environments of Multiliteracies , Ho Ryong Park

Statistical Content in Middle Grades Mathematics Textbooks , Maria Consuelo (suzie) Capiral Pickle

Socioscientific Issues: A Path Towards Advanced ScientificLiteracy and Improved Conceptual Understanding of Socially Controversial Scientific Theories , Dean William Pinzino

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

A Case Study of Adolescent Females' Perceptions of Identity in an After-School Book Club , Holly Atkins

The Impact of an Online Learning Community Project on University Chinese as a Foreign Language Students' Motivation , Shengrong Cai

Opportunity to Learn (OTL) and the Alignment of Upper Division Mathematics Learning Outcomes, Textbooks, and the National Assessment in Belize , Gabriel Cal

Making Meaning with "Readers" and "Texts": A Narrative Inquiry into Two Beginning English Teachers' Meaning Making from Classroom Events , Christi Underwood Edge

A Sociocultural-Theory-Based Study of the Impact of Mediation During Post-Observation Conferences on Language Teacher Learning , Jane Harvey

Role of CMC-Embedded Webquests in Enhancement of Online Students' Knowledge and Understanding of German Culture - A Case Study , Radhika Lothe

Technology Use as Transformative Pedagogy: Using Video Editing Technology to Learn About Teaching , Michelle Macy

"We Have Never Known What Death Was Before"--A Just War Doctrine Critique of U.S. History Textbooks , Mark Pearcy

El Poder / The Power: Latino/a Literature Inclusion in the Florida High School Language Arts Classroom as a Contributing Deterrent to the Latino/a Dropout Rate , Monica Adriana Sleeter

Revision And Validation Of A Culturally-Adapted Online Instructional Module Using Edmundson's CAP Model: A DBR Study , Marie A. Tapanes

Geometric Transformations in Middle School Mathematics Textbooks , Barbara Zorin

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

Through the Lens of a Global Educator: Examining Personal Perceptions Regarding the Construction of World-Mindedness , Kenneth T. Carano

Concepts of Variable in Middle-Grades Mathematics Textbooks during Four Eras of Mathematics Education in the United States , James K. Dogbey

Experiences of Foreign Language Teachers and Students Using a Technology-Mediated Oral Assessment , Jeannie Ducher

Manifestations of Hidden Curriculum in a Community College Online Opticianry Program: An Ecological Approach , Barry Hubbard

Proportionality in Middle-School Mathematics Textbooks , Gwendolyn Joy Johnson

Preservice Elementary Teachers‟ Pedagogical Content Knowledge Related to Area and Perimeter: A Teacher Development Experiment Investigating Anchored Instruction With Web-Based Microworlds , Matthew S. Kellogg

Systematic Development and Validation of a Course of Instruction in Prior Learning Assessment , John D. McNally

The Dynamic Graphic Organizer and its Influence on Making Factual, Comparative, and Inferential Determinations within Comparative Content , Cameron Spears

Technology Integration For Preservice Science Teacher Educators , Nina C. Stokes

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

Motivation And Instructor’s Self-Disclosure Using Facebook In A French Online Course Context , James M. Aubry

Enhancing Nature of Science Understanding, Reflective Judgment, and Argumentation through Socioscientific Issues , Brendan E. Callahan

College Students' Use of Science Content During Socioscientific Issues Negotiation: Impact of Evolution Understanding and Acceptance , Samantha R. Fowler

Teacher Self-Efficacy and the Civic Knowledge of Secondary Social Studies Teachers in a Large Urban School District: A Policy Study , Dennis Holt

Teaching social studies in an age of globalization: A case study of secondary social studies teachers' participation in the UNA-USA's Global Classrooms curriculum program , Kelly R. Miliziano

The realization of the speech act of refusal in Egyptian Arabic by American learners of Arabic as a foreign language , Nader Morkus

Exploring efficient design approaches for display of multidimensional data to facilitate interpretation of information , Chitra S. Pathiavadi

Classroom discourse and Teacher talk influences on English language learner students' mathematics experiences , Mariana M. Petkova

A Multiple Case Study Analysis of Middle Grades Social Studies Teachers' Instructional Use of Digital Technology with Academically Talented Students at Three High-Performing Middle Schools , Caroline C. Sheffield

Development and Validation of a Web-Based Module to Teach Metacognitive Learning Strategies to Students in Higher Education , Oma B. Singh

Transformational Processes and Learner Outcomes for Online Learning: An Activity Theory Case Study of Spanish Students , Joseph M. Terantino

Theses/Dissertations from 2008 2008

The Process of Change Experienced by Pre-Service and In-Service Social Studies Teachers in an Online Content Area Reading Course , Aimee L. Alexander-Shea

The Role of Image Resolution to Locomotion Tasks in Virtual Desktop Wayfinding , Lisa Dawn Anderson

Secondary Pre-Service Teachers’ Knowledge and Confidence in Dealing with Students’ First Amendment Rights in the Classroom , Ian Call

Culture Learning in Spanish Companion Book Websites: An Analysis of Tasks , Angela Cresswell

The Effects of Pre-Writing Strategy Training Guided by Computer-Based Procedural Facilitation on ESL Students’ Strategy Use, Writing Quantity, and Writing Quality , Darunee Dujsik

Ocean Literacy and Reasoning About Ocean Issues: The Influence of Content, Experience and Morality , Teresa Greely

Digitally Implemented Interactive Fiction: Systematic Development and Validation of “Mole, P.I.”, a Multimedia Adventure for Third Grade Readers , Denise Haunstetter

Personal Epistemological Growth in a College Chemistry Laboratory Environment , Linda S. Keen-Rocha

A Comparative Study of Six Decades of General Science Textbooks: Evaluating the Evolution of Science Content , Anna Lewis

The Acquisition of Procedural Skills: An Analysis of the Worked-Example Effect Using Animated Demonstrations , David Lewis

A Study of Instructional Strategies that Promote Learning Centered Synchronous Dialogue Online , Shelley Stewart

Dynamic Assessment: Towards a Model of Dialogic Engagement , Robert Summers

Teacher Efficacy and Student Achievement in Ninth and Tenth Grade Reading: A Multilevel Analysis , Anete Vasquez

Theses/Dissertations from 2007 2007

High school social studies teachers' attitudes towards the inclusion of ELL students in mainstream classes , Jason L. O'Brien

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The Opportunities and Challenges for a Critical Global Citizenship Education in One English Secondary School

• Chloe Blackmore
• Department of Education

Student thesis : Doctoral Thesis › PhD

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The effect s of the school environment on Students' English language achievement.pdf

This study aims to identify the impact of the school environment on secondary school students’ academic performance and addresses the problems of how facilities, teachers and environment significantly affect secondary school students’ academic performance of English language in Khartoum / Sudan, which might lead to reduce students’ performance and education quality of English language. The study assumed that the environment has a vital role in English language achievement in all Khartoum state secondary schools’ students. Thus, 4 different schools (The British international School/Khartoum South, Al-Thorah Secondary School/Omdurman, Ibn-Rushed School/Alhaj-Yousif and English Discussion Centre (EDC) Khartoum North), have been visited and a questionnaire developed and designed for this study was distributed to the English teachers 42 out of 50 questionnaires were answered by the teachers in the schools. The study concluded that school environment has incredible impact on the quality of teaching students receive and the extent of attention they pay to lesson in school. This implies that schools that fail to provide the necessary learning facilities and create a conducive atmosphere for teaching and learning, may hardly put in the best in their students especially in the area of academic achievement. This scenario has been among the reason for poor academic achievement of students in many secondary schools in the study area. The study recommended that, school environment should be considered as the main factor that affect secondary school students’ achievement in English language therefore, it should be enhanced and precautions for the best atmosphere of teaching should be monitored and implemented.

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0277 Abdul Djafar umar

Classroom environment plays a significant role in determining students’ level of academic achievement and enhancingtheir holistic growth. For students, the classroom is not just an intellectual space, but also a social, emotional andphysical environment. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of classroom environment on learningEnglish as a foreign language by a group of first grade students at Secondary Schools in Gezira State in the Sudan. Thisstudy indorses the experimental approach to realize its objective. Two groups of students are classified as theExperimental and the Control group and assigned to study under two different classroom environments. TheExperimental group consists of (122) students. These are accommodated in three well renovated classrooms; while theControl group which includes (135) students are assigned to study in non-renovated schools under relatively poorclassroom environments. The two groups are taught the same English language material by teac...

Journal of Education and Practice

Muhammad Ali Mustapha

AbdulMahmoud Ibrahim

The study is carried out to identify factors that negatively affecting teaching English language at Khartoum governmental secondary schools. The study deals with improving an effective teaching environment and providing teachers with adequate information in using effective teaching methods. This study focuses on avoiding factors negatively affecting teaching English. The study was hypothesized that an unhealthy learning environment negatively affecting teaching English language. Teachers do not use teaching techniques effectively. Teachers do not frequently use modern teaching aids. Students do not learn English in the environment convenient for learning. Qualitative and Quantative approaches were utilized to find out objectively facts about a negatives factors and to study the relationship between these facts by using scientific techniques. Questions of questionnaires answered by 100 teachers of English language. The interviews questions answered by 25 experienced teachers of Engli...

Public Administration Research

Abdul Hye Sahar

Academic success of language learners is not only determined by their level of intelligence but it is also associated with the learning environment provided to them. The current study is an attempt to investigate the factors which affect learning environment of English language learners at government schools. In this context a survey based research design was selected by following quantitative methodology. Sample was drawn from the population parameter of government schools. The students were selected randomly whereas teachers and head teachers were selected by using convenient sampling technique. A questionnaire was developed, validated and administered to know the perspectives of the selected respondents. Findings of the study revealed that suitable school environment provides significant contributions to ESL learners’ performance and accomplishment. The study also found that student-teacher and teacher-parent relationship promote and strengthen language learning capacity of ESL l...

Umar Usman Hamsheer

The study was carried out to investigate the Effect of School Environment on level 200 B.A (Ed) Islamic Students Academic Performance of Bayero University, Kano. The design of the study is descriptive while the population comprised B.A (ed) students. The sample size for the study was 97 respondents while the researchers’ self developed questionnaire formed the instrument for data collection. The supervisor validated the instrument, Four research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. A review of empirical studies was carried out to guide the researcher into previous studies in the area and also to provide the researcher with the theoretical base. 95 item questionnaires were used to get information from the respondents, 15 were lost. Based on the data collected and analyzed, the following results were obtained. Inadequate teaching materials, poor learning environment, The study posits that school environment play a significant role on students’ academic performance. From the analyzed data of 80 respondents of level 200 B.A (Ed) Islamic Studies Students’ in Bayero University Kano, school environment appeared to have significant influence on students’ academic performance. However, from the data collected, it appears that the school with adequate modern equipment enhances learning. The result of the data proves that the school enriched with modern equipment such as computer, internet, enriched laboratory and library make learning easier and faster. Likewise, school enriched with intelligent teachers, favorable learning atmosphere, an excellent teacher- student relationship and good school-parent relationship facilitates learning development. Therefore, these advantages result in high academic performance. Therefore, the importance of school environment on influencing academic performance cannot be over emphasized. Students need school with favorable learning facilities to perform well, this means that when school environment is enriched with modern educational facilities facilitate learning.

Azuka Ugoanefo Udoka

The study examined the Influence of School Environment on Academic Performance of Student of Public Secondary School in Aguata Educational Zones. Nigeria. The study was carried out with three research objectives, three research questions were formulated. The study is descriptive survey design while the population comprised principals and teachers in the education zone. A total of 196 respondent were sampled using stratified disproportionate random sampling technique, while a researchers' self developed questionnaire formed the instrument for data collection. Three experts validated the instrument was employed to ensure the reliability of the instrument. A review of empirical studies was carried out to guide the researcher into previous studies in the area and also to provide the researcher with the theoretical base. A 17-item questionnaire was used to get information from the respondents. Based on the data collected and analyzed, the following results were obtained. That staff office, classroom spaces for teaching students and staff common room represented the major areas that to a great extent affect the academic achievement of students in public schools, with regard to buildings. It was also revealed that desks, current books and presence of library assistants constituted the areas of influence to the academic achievement of the students with regard to library services in the public secondary schools. Both the principals and teachers agreed that access to reading materials in the school, lack of facilities, and nearness to school and in sufficient qualified teachers vary greatly affect the academic achievement of the students. Inadequate teaching materials were also noted as a major factor affecting the students' academic achievement. The two groups also shared common views in terms of the great influence of school health services, fencing of school for security and provision of power supply as important variable affecting the academic performance of the students of public secondary schools. Based on the above, the researcher recommends that schools should be provided with functional libraries, equipped with current reading materials to help enhance both the students' academic achievement and the teachers' effectiveness in academic activities in the school. CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Background of the Study School environment is the thread that connects to the various activities on the school. In many respects, this thread is almost invisible, yet everyone experiences its influence. Dudek (2000), opined that it is external influences in the school that can influence academic performance of students, irrespective of their intelligent quotient. School environment can also be considered as a major factor in teaching and learning, since space has the power to organize and promote pleasant relationships between people of different ages, to provide changes, to promote choices and activities and for its potential for sparking different types of social and affective learning (Okeke, 2001). The school environment, include the classrooms, libraries, technical workshops, laboratories, teachers' quality, school management, teaching methods, peers, and others are variables that affect students' academic performance (Ajayi, and Oluchukwu, 2001). Hence, the school environment remains an important area that should be studied and well managed to enhance students' academic performance. School environment also include the planning of instructional spaces, administrative places, spaces for conveniences, equipments, the teachers as well as the students are all essential in teaching-learning process. The extent to which student learning could be enhanced depends on their location within the school compound, the structure of their classroom, availability of instructional facilities and accessories. It is believed that a well planned school will gear up expected outcomes of education that will facilitate good social, political and economic emancipation, effective teaching and learning process and academic performance of the students. According to Williams, Persaud, and Turner (2008), safe and orderly classroom management and School facilities were significantly related to students' academic performance in schools. Therefore a comfortable and caring environment among others could help to contribute to students` academic performance. According to Frazier (2002). The physical facilities of the school have a variety of effects on teachers, students, and the learning process. Poor lighting, noise, high

International Journal of English and Education

A.F.M. M O S H I U R Rahman

Classroom environment is one of the most impactful issue in the education system of every level, especially for English education at the primary level in Bangladesh as English being a foreign language needs more attention in the field of teaching and learning. The aim of the present study was to explore the impact of classroom environment on English education at the primary level in Bangladesh. The study was qualitative in nature. It was consisted of review of extensive literature in the respective field, interviews with six primary English teachers from six schools and the observation of six classroom from those schools. It was found from the cross-checking of teachers' interview and classroom observation that most of the schools did not have suitable classroom environment that negatively impacted English education. In most of the cases, class size was large that created noise and broke the learners' concentration often. Again, poor lighting facilities, improper ventilation system and hot temperature were very common scenario in most of the schools. Most importantly, seating furniture were uncomfortable to the learners and the teaching materials were very traditional as well. Some positive scenario were also found in only two schools that classrooms were decorated with comfortable furniture, enough lighting, fan and some modern teaching materials but there were noise as well because of the adjacent crowded area as those schools were located in urban area. It was highly recommended that government authorities for primary education, school committee and the teachers should be more cordial to ensure a healthy, safe and learner friendly classroom environment with all kind of modern facilities.

kamran khan

This study was conducted to find out the impact of school environment on the academic achievement of students in both Urdu (National) and English (2 nd language) medium classes in public schools. A sample of teachers and head teachers was selected from eight districts of Punjab province using multi-stage cluster random sampling techniques. Keeping in view gender and locality considerations a sample of 36 head teachers and 72 science teachers was selected from sample selected schools. Two types of instruments i.e. a rating scale for teachers and a Checklist for head teachers were used to collect information. It was found that school environment has positive impact on students' achievement and this effect is more in English medium schools as compared to Urdu medium schools. Whereas the classroom specific environment in Urdu medium schools has better effect on students learning than English medium schools. To improve students' science learning a better school environment is a good contributor.

Abiola R I C H I E Imafidon

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Exploring the resilience development of secondary school English teacher-researchers: a Chinese case study

• Haibo Gu 1 ,
• Siyi Wang 2 ,
• Xiaofeng Chen 1 &
• Qian Wang 3  

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications volume  11 , Article number:  806 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

147 Accesses

Metrics details

• Language and linguistics

Teacher education research has recognised the importance of teacher resilience. However, the development of language teacher-researchers resilience remains in its early stages. To address this gap, this study adopted a qualitative approach to explore the resilience development of two Chinese secondary school English teacher-researchers and its contributing factors. Data from interviews and case documents indicated that teacher-researchers resilience was dynamic and developed over time. Two different patterns of resilience development were identified: low-to-high and W-shaped recovery. Furthermore, individual and environmental factors and their interactions jointly contributed to the resilience development of the two secondary school English teacher-researchers. Their participation in classroom research provided them with diverse ways to sustain their resilience. The implications for teacher development are offered to teachers in China and other similar contexts.

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Introduction.

Teaching is undoubtedly a demanding and emotionally taxing profession (Mercer, 2023 ; Wang et al., 2022 ). Amidst ongoing curriculum reforms and socio-political shifts, educators face an array of challenges. These include extended working hours, inadequate compensation, managerial pressures, societal scrutiny, rigid performance evaluations tied to student outcomes, insufficient training, and familial responsibilities (Liu and Onwuegbuzie, 2012 ). Teachers who are not capable of dealing with these challenges are subject to various negative emotions (e.g. anxiety and boredom) (Wang et al., 2022 ), resulting in professional disengagement (Xie, 2021 ) and career vulnerability.

Resilience, the capacity that enables individuals to bounce back quickly (Gu and Day, 2007 ), is beneficial for teachers in dealing with those challenges and operating well in their daily work and lives (Gu, 2014 ). Resilience safeguards teachers’ well-being and enjoyment in their profession (Proietti Ergün and Dewaele, 2021 ), helps teachers who work in constraining environments to persist in conducting pedagogical research as teacher-researchers (Edwards and Burns, 2016 ), enables them to be a positive influence to students (Li et al., 2019 ).

Studies have been conducted on teacher resilience, such as its potential predictors (e.g. Ainsworth and Oldfield, 2019 ; Fan et al., 2021 ) and educational consequences (e.g., Demir Polate and İSkender, 2018 ; Xie, 2021 ). Most of these studies have been conducted in general education (Wang et al., 2022 ). The empirical exploration of language teacher-researchers resilience is still in its early stages. While some teacher-researchers become overwhelmed by the complex education landscape, many maintain their work engagement with an ongoing commitment to research, regardless of the challenges. Teacher-researchers are reflective individuals who actively identify and address problems with the research approach in their teaching practice (Diezmann, 2005 ). Previous studies have reported the theory-practice gap in language education (e.g. Nguyen et al., 2022 ) and the benefits teachers can gain from conducting research (e.g. Atay, 2006 ; Borg, 2010 ; Xue, 2021 ). However, studies on the resilience of English teacher-researchers remain underexplored and may contribute to language teacher development.

This qualitative case study aimed to examine the development of resilience in Chinese secondary school English teacher-researchers and revealing its contributing factors. The following research questions were generated: (1) How do secondary school English teacher-researchers develop resilience over time? (2) What factors contribute to the development of resilience among secondary school English teacher-researchers?

Literature Review

Conceptualizing teacher resilience.

Resilience is an important personal attribute representing positive adaptation and successful stress-coping abilities (Richardson, 2002 ). It is not defined solely as a personal attribute but as a complex construct resulting from a dynamic relationship between risk and protective factors (Luthar and Brown, 2007 ). Gu and Day ( 2007 ) considered teacher resilience as ‘the capacity to continue to bounce back to recover strengths or spirit quickly and efficiently in the face of adversity’ (p. 1302). They added that resilience also enabled teachers to ‘maintain equilibrium and a sense of commitment and agency in the everyday worlds in which teachers teach’ (Gu and Day, 2013 , p. 26). As for language teacher resilience, Liu and Chu ( 2022 ) demonstrated that it is ‘a psychological capacity or quality that enables teachers to deal with and recover from adversities in their teaching and thrive in their daily professional lives’(Liu and Chu, 2022 , p. 2). Liu and Chu’s ( 2022 ) definition is considered the most relevant for answering our research questions because it retains the essence of resilience as a psychological variable. Furthermore, language teacher resilience can be constructed through interactions between language teachers and their surroundings (Liu and Chu, 2022 ).

Pioneering studies have demonstrated that resilience is crucial for teachers’ teaching effectiveness and ongoing commitment to the teaching profession (e.g. Day and Gu, 2007 ; Gu and Day, 2007 ; Fan et al., 2021 ; Sun and Li, 2021 ). In Day and Gu’s ( 2007 ) study, data from a large-scale longitudinal teacher education project showed that 218 British teachers in different professional phases remained resilient in challenging workplace environments. They further concluded that these teachers’ capacities to manage challenges vary according to life experiences and events, the strength and conviction of educational ideals, a sense of efficacy and agency, and the support of leaders and colleagues. Numerous recent studies have explored the relationship between teacher resilience and other concepts, such as teaching success (Li and Lv, 2022 ), job satisfaction and well-being (Han, 2022 ), and teaching performance in the context of COVID-19 (Liu et al., 2022 ; Fokkens-Bruinsma et al., 2023 ). These studies directly point to the essential role of teacher resilience in teacher development.

Among studies that have explored the development of teacher resilience, Sun and Li ( 2021 ) examined how teachers in rural Chinese schools maintained a sustained momentum of professional development. They interviewed 12 excellent rural teachers and identified that the development of these teachers’ resilience fit the following five patterns: low-to-high, U-trend, occasional waves, stable development, and high energy throughout. Similarly, Duan et al. ( 2023 ) explored the development of an early career English teacher’s resilience. Applying the self-narrative method, this study found that the participant displayed a roughly V-shaped pattern. These two empirical studies portrayed the dynamic development of teacher resilience and indicated its role-dependent features. However, little is known about the development of English teacher-researchers’ resilience or its contributing factors.

Unpacking the contributing factors to teacher resilience

Teachers’ characteristics and resources in the environement function as protective factors that mitigate the negative impacts of challenging events, situations, or conditions. Many researchers have identified factors that promote teacher resilience. Beltman et al. ( 2011 ) reviewed 50 empirical studies on early career teachers’ resilience. They found that the individual protective factors mentioned in these studies could be categorised as personal attributes, self-efficacy, coping skills, teaching skills, professional reflection and growth, and self-care. Among the environmental protective factors, school/administrative support, mentor support, support from peers and colleagues, working with students, support from family and friends, and characteristics of the pre-service programme were reported.

Informed by a focused review of relevant literature to determine factors supporting teacher resilience, Mansfield et al. ( 2016 ) concluded that the critical factors of teacher resilience fell into the following four categories: personal resources, contextual resources, strategies, and outcomes. The predominant personal resources included motivation, efficacy, a sense of purpose, optimism, and social and emotional intelligence. The most commonly mentioned contextual resources mainly stem from the support of school leaders, colleagues, students, and mentors. Strategies such as work–life balance, problem solving, professional learning, and goal setting have been reported by teachers as the most frequently used. Outcomes such as well-being, commitment, job satisfaction, and agency were most strongly associated with teacher resilience. In their study on a language teacher educator’s teacher resilience, Kostoulas and Lammerer ( 2018 ) developed a resilience system model that encompasses inner strengths, learned strategies, and external support. The participant’s inner strengths contributed significantly to her resilience. To cope with threatening situations, strategies such as downplaying setbacks, seeking external support from family, colleagues, mentors, school leaders, and workplace ‘small culture’ (p. 252) were also reported. Ainsworth and Oldfield ( 2019 ) investigated individual and contextual factors using a questionnaire completed by 226 teachers in the UK. Similarly, individual factors, such as emotional intelligence, self-esteem, and independent problem-solving skills, were found to be essential to teacher resilience. Contextual factors, including support from management, mentors, family, and friends, and school culture were resourceful for teachers to be resilient. In their study on the development of novice teachers’ resilience in rural China from a socio-ecological perspective, Wang and Lo ( 2022 ) identified several factors in socio-ecological systems and further emphasised the interplay of multifaceted situational factors.

The findings of the aforementioned studies support those of Beltman et al. ( 2011 ). Therefore, this study followed their classification of contributing factors to teacher resilience. Contributing factors were categorised as individual and environmental protective factors. The former includes personal attributes, self-efficacy, coping skills, teaching skills, professional reflections, and growth. The latter consists of support from school leaders, mentors, colleagues, students, family, and friends as well as academic training in pre-service programs.

Understanding teacher-researchers in the Chinese school context

Some studies have acknowledged the dual role of teachers as practitioners and researchers (Borg, 2010 ). Generally, teacher-researchers are motivated to engage in inquiries into their professional problems and formulate, evaluate, and refine solutions to these problems (Stenhouse, 1981 ). In Diezmann’s ( 2005 ) view, a teacher-researcher refers to ‘a professional who is reflective and who accepts the responsibility, has the capability, and is sufficiently motivated to identify and address problems in his or her practice’ (p. 183).

Teacher-researchers are defined in this study as school teachers who conduct classroom research and make pedagogical decisions informed by action research or literature reading. In contrast to researchers and teacher-educators in higher education, school teacher-researchers publish mostly teaching cases and lesson studies. Their papers are highly valuable to frontline teachers in Chinese K-12 school contexts because they offer practical insights into classroom instruction and contribute to primary and secondary school teachers’ professional growth.

Several studies have reported the benefits that teachers can obtain from classroom research, such as becoming more reflective and critical of teaching behaviours (Atay, 2006 ), identifying challenges in professional growth (Borg, 2010 ), and realising the significance of participating in reform (Wang and He, 2022 ). Other research also focuses on topics such as the identity development of school teachers in research programs (e.g. Edwards and Burns, 2016 ; Wang and He, 2022 ) and strategies to improve teachers’ research ability (e.g. Borg, 2007 ). While only a limited number of studies have explored the professional development of language teacher-researchers in the Chinese school context, there has not been substantial research exploring any specific dimension of their psychology, such as language teacher-researchers’ resilience. The resilience of these teacher-researchers, as demonstrated in the stories of their professional development, is explored in this study.

Methodology

According to Gu ( 2014 ), the two distinctive characteristics of teacher resilience are context- and role-specific. Therefore, the qualitative method is appropriate for exploring the development of resilience because it provides an opportunity to gain a deep understanding of the context and lived experiences of participants (Shields and Mullen, 2020 ).

Setting and participants

With the advancement of quality education and the deepening of curriculum reform, teacher development has received unprecedented attention in China. The Chinese government has issued a series of policies to build a professional teacher workforce. Among them, the Opinions on Comprehensively Deepening the Reform of Teacher Staff Construction in the New Era explicitly states the need to foster the quality of primary and secondary school teaching and its professional teacher team. Teachers can enhance their professional competence by conducting research, exploring, reflecting, and improving their daily teaching practices. Some Chinese secondary schools have adapted their evaluation and promotion criteria to enforce more stringent requirements on faculty teaching practices and research output. Secondary school teachers, in addition to their role as teachers, also assume the identity of researchers. Typically, insufficient research training before employment makes many teachers shy away from conducting research. However, some teachers are empowered to engage in research in response to the change in external demands. Those who performed well in using research outcomes to inform their teaching have gradually gained recognition as teacher-researchers.

At the beginning of the study, we contacted and invited six teacher-researchers (all of whom had published at least three papers) from schools in different provinces to identify potential participants. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted, each lasting approximately 90 min. A preliminary analysis of the transcribed interview data indicated that two of the six participants, Ming and Wan (pseudonyms were used to protect the participants’ privacy), exhibited salient resilience and could provide us with a rich and deep understanding of how teacher-researchers gain power in confronting setbacks. In addition, Ming and Wan are both from Jiangsu Province, making it convenient for us to understand the environmental influence and establish further connections or verification with them. The two participants’ explicit resilience, informing us with rich data and the convenience of future data collection, prompted us to investigate further and report on their cases. Table 1 presents the background information of the two teacher-researchers.

The two participants, Ming and Wan, excelled in teaching and research. Ming is an outstanding junior English teacher who won first prize in the city’s teaching ability competition and has published 15 English teaching articles in Chinese journals. Wan is a senior English teacher and the first-prize winner in a provincial middle school English quality lesson competition. He has published more than 30 English teaching papers in Chinese journals. Additionally, they are both from Jiangsu, an eastern province in China with a developed economy, abundant educational resources, and a strong research atmosphere. More importantly, this province emphasizes the professional development of in-service teachers by providing substantial mental and financial support. This favourable atmosphere prompted many secondary school English teachers to devote themselves to research and writing. It provided an important environmental foundation for the growth of the two teacher-researchers in this study.

Data collection

Semi-structured interviews and case documents were used to collect information for this study. Face-to-face interviews served as the primary data, whereas the participants’ case documents functioned as data triangulation materials. To further investigate the longitudinal changes in teachers’ resilience, both participants were given a graph indicating the years on the horizontal axis and the level of resilience (from low to high) on the vertical ordinate at the beginning of the interviews (see Fig. 1 ). They were asked to draw a timeline graph showing retrospective changes in their resilience levels. Furthermore, they were required to mark important events related to the development of resilience on the graph.

Sample Timeline Graph of Teacher Resilience Development.

A follow-up stimulated recall interview (Gass and Mackey, 2000 ) was subsequently administered, in which each participant was interviewed while looking at their resilience graphs, allowing researchers to confirm the factors and events behind the ups and downs observed in the individual graphs. Consent for participation was obtained from all participants, and each interview lasted approximately 90 min. The interview questions were adapted from those used in Shields and Mullen’s ( 2020 ) study on veteran teachers’ resilience, providing an opportunity to identify and examine teacher resilience changes over time. The interviews were audio-recorded with consent and conducted in the Chinese participants’ first language. Written notes were also taken during the interviews to track participants’ keywords, statements, and expressions (Creswell, 2013 ).

The case documents included two timeline graphs of resilience drawn by the participants, their published papers, and their social media WeChat moments related to English teaching and research. All these case documents offered rich information for this study. Among these case documents, two-time graphs of resilience development and published papers that mentioned resilience development were analyzed to enrich the interview data. WeChat moments were used to crosscheck the interview data.

Data analysis

Data analysis is an ongoing process that occurs simultaneously with data collection. This study analysed the data in two phases: narrative analysis and the analysis of narratives (Polkinghorne, 1995 ). Narrative analysis aims to construct stories from the collected data, while the analysis of narratives is used to identify themes and patterns from these constructed stories. Furthermore, the narrative approach used in Gu and Day’s ( 2007 ) exploration of teacher resilience revealed the meanings embodied in stories of teachers’ professional and personal development from multiple perspectives.

The researchers first read and re-read all the interview data and case documents during data analysis. In the first phase, stories closely related to participants’ resilience were written. Specific steps to construct the narrative stories included (1) reviewing the timeline graphs, relevant interview notes, interview transcriptions, audio recordings, and case documents; (2) summarizing the crucial information related to each research question; and (3) writing stories with the participants’ important quotations.

After constructing stories about teachers’ resilience, two steps were taken in the second phase. First, all stories were reordered according to the time sequence and revised according to the timeline graph drawn by the two participants. Second, all stories were divided into fragments that were then coded into two categories (i.e. individual and environmental protective factors). The researcher compared the codes in each category and identified the subcategories. To improve the rigour and credibility of the data analysis, the coding process was performed inductively using NVivo 12, a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software package. Measures were taken to guarantee data analysis quality. All discrepancies in the translations were resolved through further discussion.

Based on the data analysis, this study identified the development of resilience in secondary school English teacher-researchers in two patterns: low-to-high and W-shaped recovery.

Development of English teacher-researchers’ resilience

Low-to-high.

When an English teacher-researcher’s resilience development is described as ‘low-to-high’, it means that their resilience is relatively weak during the early years of their career. Later, the teachers become increasingly resilient after experiencing the challenges and achievements of teaching and research, after which their resilience remain at its highest level. Of the two participants in this study, Ming’s resilience development followed this pattern.

Ming’s resilience was low during her first three years of teaching because of the pressure of test-oriented teacher evaluation. Since 2017, she has become increasingly resilient, gradually becoming free from teaching pressures. Her resilience peaked in 2020 when her articles were published. Subsequently, her resilience has remained stable at its highest level. A timeline graph of her resilience development is shown (see Fig. 2 ).

Timeline Graph of Ming’s Resilience Development.

Ming graduated with a master’s degree in 2014. Although she did not major in English education, she learned language-learning theories when she was a postgraduate student in the Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages programme. In her words, ‘I learned some pedagogical and psychological theories, and I know how to apply them in teaching practice’ (Ming-I-1; the notes in the bracket identify the participant, the type of data resources, and the page number of the quotes. For example, ‘Ming’ refers to the participant Ming, ‘I’ refers to the interview, and ‘1’ refers to the page number in the interview transcript). Moreover, in the programme, cooperation with her classmates in the research methodology course was also a valuable experience for her: ‘Our group selected a topic, designed a questionnaire, and finally finished a paper together. The process was enjoyable’ (Ming-C; here, ‘C’ refers to case documents). This academic training experience enhanced her research capabilities and motivated her to conduct further research in her future career.

Ming saw a turning point in her teaching career in 2017. Before 2017, she did not have time to write teaching research articles: ‘For me, the period from 2014 to 2017 was a time of survival’ (Ming-I-1). Ming encountered several challenges during this period. The first challenge involved time management issues: ‘Balancing work and life was not easy’ (Ming-I-7). For Ming, ‘It felt like I was standing at a crossroads. Work or life was a matter of personal choice, and I chose work’ (Ming-I-7). Focusing more on teaching, Ming had difficulty handling household chores: ‘My mother-in-law helped me take care of my little daughter. That allowed me to concentrate on my work’ (Ming-I-4). Ming’s husband also encouraged her: ‘My husband told me to do whatever was beneficial to my personal and professional development’ (Ming-I-7). Family support provided Ming with more time for work. The second challenge concerned peer pressure within the work context, causing anxiety: ‘My colleagues have become a bit distant from me’ (Ming-I-3). However, support coexisted with the pressure. The school principal encouraged her to explore novel teaching ideas: ‘The school principal explored new teaching methods herself. Therefore, she appreciated teachers who did the same thing. Her encouragement meant a lot to me’ (Ming-I-3). Another major challenge was the mischief of students in her class. Ming believed that encouragement was better than criticism for students. To manage a naughty boy, she assigned him the task of acting as the monitor: ‘I told the class he was good and everyone should learn from him. I intended to make him feel that he was a model for the class, so he would not behave badly’ (Ming-I-8). When the student entered senior high school, he expressed gratitude toward Ming: ‘He told his mother that he got there because of me. When I heard his words, I was happier than ever before’ (Ming-I-10). After successfully dealing with these teaching-related challenges, her resilience increased.

After 2017, Ming began to spend time conducting research as she gained more experience in teaching and classroom management. Ming borrowed books and journals on English teaching from the school library. When she read an article written by an English teacher in a nearby school, she thought, ‘The English teacher there could write a core journal article, so I could write one too’ (Ming-I-1). Thus, Ming revised an article she had written before and submitted it to a top English teaching journal in China, FLTS. The editor of FLTS soon replied to Ming and gave her many suggestions on which books she should read and where improvement was required. When she started revising it based on the editor’s advice, she ‘began reading books and journal articles systematically. This article is my first article published in FLTS, and I learned a lot about academic writing from this experience’ (Ming-I-1). Since then, her resilience has increased continuously. Tasting the sweetness of success, Ming was motivated to write about her teaching practice, particularly about her extra-curricular reading: ‘I wrote 7,000 words or so. To my disappointment, the first draft was rejected by FLTS that time’ (Ming-I-2). Instead of giving up, Ming took the initiative to determine why she was rejected: ‘I read other teachers’ articles about the same topic, and then I found that they wrote around one focused point and provided supporting examples. The most important was that their ideas were novel’ (Ming-I-2). She realised that she needed to improve her writing skills.

In 2020, the revision of Ming’s fourth core journal article posed a significant challenge. She submitted an article during the summer vacation of 2020. Soon after, the editor of FLTS gave her feedback and asked her to reply via e-mail as soon as possible. Coincidentally, it was also the school opening day, thus Ming was too busy to revise the article. ‘The difficulty level of revision was 5 points, which meant the revision would be very difficult. I was swamped. I read through their suggestions and revised it roughly’ (Ming-I-5). Ming sent the first draft to the editor without double-checking. One week later, Ming received another e-mail from the editor. She was told what to revise and when to send the final draft. Ming was fully occupied with a demonstration lesson, and so she put the article aside for some time. After the demonstration lesson, she focused on revising the article. She redefined the key concept and rebuilt the conceptual framework: ‘When the concept was rebuilt, every section was rewritten accordingly. I stayed up late every day to rewrite it and carefully checked the accuracy of my expressions. The final draft was completely different from the initial version’ (Ming-I-5). Before sending it to the editor, she invited Mr Feng, one of her colleagues, to read the article: ‘Mr Feng found some mistakes the editor did not notice and he also gave me valuable advice’ (Ming-I-5). Following Mr Feng’s advice, she polished the article again. Not until a few hours before the deadline did Ming finish the revision process: ‘I got up at 4 a.m. to revise it and send it to the editor. That was insane’ (Ming-I-5). Happily, Ming’s article was accepted: ‘I cannot believe that I did it in such a difficult circumstance. Because of this article, I felt that I was much more resilient than before’ (Ming-I-5).

Although Ming encountered many challenges, she believed that ‘challenges could be overcome, and what was required to be a success could be created by a determined person. Maintaining learning can increase the likelihood of success. Success thus became the mother of the next success’ (Ming-I-11). Now, Ming always plans to write an article in advance, including when to write the first draft, when to revise it, and when to submit it. Feeling joy in success, she encourages her colleagues and apprentices to write articles.

The above examples show that Ming was not sufficiently resilient at the beginning of her teaching career. Multiple challenges, such as difficulties in academic research and writing and the imbalance between work and life, prevented her from becoming a resilient teacher-researcher. By exploiting resources such as intrinsic motivation, tenacity, interpersonal skills, and external support, Ming overcame challenges and gained ground-breaking establishment in her career. Success in turn accelerated her self-efficacy and maintained her resilience at a high level.

W-shaped recovery

When an English teacher-researcher’s resilience is portrayed as ‘W-shaped recovery‘, it means that their resilience is occasionally weakened by setbacks. However, they can quickly recover from diminished resilience by actively seeking measures or support from others. Finally, the teacher recovers their resilience or becomes even more resilient. Of the two participants in this study, Wan’s resilience generally followed this developmental pattern.

Wan’s resilience started strikingly at a medium level and wavered back and forth between medium and high levels in subsequent years. His resilience level showed an upward trend from 2008 to 2015, peaking in 2015 when he received a provincial first-class award and was promoted in his professional title. Overwhelmed by a heavy workload, his resilience was weakened for a while but peaked in 2020 for the second time. From 2020 to 2022, his resilience fluctuated and reached its highest level. Resilience development was demonstrated using timeline graphs (see Fig. 3 ).

Timeline Graph of Wan’s Resilience Development.

Although Wan failed the postgraduate examinations and job hunting, he was not defeated. Instead, he reassured himself: ‘As long as I was given a chance to work as a teacher, I would have done as well as or even better than others’ (Wan-I-2). In 2008, Wan worked at a rural school. Many of his students were born into migrant families and did not learn much English in primary school, which was undoubtedly a great challenge for Wan, a novice teacher. At that time, improving students’ test scores was a major concern. After consulting other teachers, Wan chose to teach with the tests in mind. He guided the students in practicing test-taking strategies to help them improve their scores. In the final examination, the average scores of his two classes were the highest among the 12 classes. This boosted his resilience. At that time, Wan felt as though he was a teaching machine, shuttling from the classroom to the office day and night. He was confused: ‘Should I focus solely on students’ test scores all the time? Does a teacher’s success or failure depend completely on students’ test scores? What are the key factors of professional development?’ (Wan-C). After listening to a lecture given by a university professor, Wan realised that ‘students’ test scores did not entirely determine the success of his life. The value of teachers is mainly determined by the teachers themselves’ (Wan-C). Thus, he began reading books in the school library. However, due to a lack of formal academic training, he read aimlessly.

Wan did not give up because of temporary difficulties. Instead, he spent more time reading in the school library: ‘I thought I could learn something from reading more, and it was much better than chatting in the office’ (Wan-C). Wan’s confusion did not persist. He found a more effective way to read by writing summaries after reading. He wrote down the main content of the article and his reflection in his notebooks: ‘I tried to figure out the framework of journal articles so that I could quickly master the patterns of writing’ (Wan-C). He also enjoyed reading because he thought ‘it was fresh and exciting’ (Wan-C). From being unable to understand an academic article to becoming versed in writing one, Wan made remarkable efforts. As a result of accumulating theories and practices, Wan refined his teaching experiences by writing articles. He published two research articles in the first three years of teaching. When his articles were published, he was proud to share the good news with Wang, an elderly English teacher in the same office. Wang encouraged him: ‘He read my article and said it was very good. His encouragement had a significant effect on me’ (Wan-I-2). Subsequently, he submitted his articles to core journals: ‘I just wanted to make a breakthrough. I thought I could do more’ (Wan-I-2). He was rejected many times but never gave up. In 2011, his first core journal article was published in FLTS after many revisions. His confidence in teaching and research skills increased.

Due to the need to obtain a higher professional title, in 2017 Wan was transferred to teaching in a disadvantaged school, where he was assigned to take charge of the worst class, Grade 9. Wan was full of teaching enthusiasm and prepared his lessons with all his might: ‘I did a great job in both teaching and research. Therefore, when I first came to this school, I firmly believed I could make a difference in students’ English proficiency and learning attitudes’ (Wan-I-4). However, the situation was a completely different story: ‘Only five students in the class listened to me attentively, and the rest just ignored what I was talking about. Gradually, I had a sense of self-doubt about changing these students’ (Wan-I-5). What really disappointed him was that he could not establish a rapport with the students: ‘This did no harm to my professional title promotion, but it meant that I got no recognition from my students. That made me very disappointed, and my passion was weakened’ (Wan-I-5). His heavy workload also deprived him of the time and energy to read academic journals and conduct research. For the first time, his resilience decreased.

Out of his sense of vocation, he still cared about the students and taught them to the best of his ability: ‘I thought that they respected me at least. After graduation, some of them met me on the street and said hello to me’ (Wan-I-6). Wan also attempted to maintain optimism: ‘I paid more attention to their strengths and stopped comparing these students with students I taught in a better school before’ (Wan-I-5). In 2019, he took the initiative to teach Grade 7: ‘It was too difficult to change the students in Grade 9. The students from Grade 7 were like a sponge and they were more eager to learn, so I could make a difference to them more or less’ (Wan-I-5). Wan was more enthusiastic about teaching than before because the students in Grade 7 were more cooperative and their relationships were closer. ‘Although their scores did not improve significantly, they maintained good classroom discipline and completed their assignments on time. I received greeting cards and flowers on Teachers’ Day’ (Wan-I-5). Wan thought that receiving gifts from students could not measure a teacher’s status, but it showed his students’ recognition. He was emotionally uplifted by these students and his resilience bounced back to the highest level.

Wan believed that it was uncommon for English teachers to conduct research or write papers because of their heavy workload, which also posed a challenge to him. Still, he upheld his resilience to counteract any negativity: ‘For me, doing research is a remedy and responsibility, which gives me temporary respite from a heavy working schedule’ (Wan-I-13). With accumulated experience, Wan, as the leader of a teaching research group at his school, was more willing to help other English teachers conduct classroom-based research: ‘I hope that more teachers, especially young teachers, will be inspired by my articles. Many teachers know my name, so I do not want to let them down or lead them in the wrong direction’ (Wan-I-2). His resilience increased again after 2021 and has remained stable.

The development of these two teacher-researchers’ resilience indicated that their resilience was not a static innate quality but a dynamic and developmental one that resulted from the different challenges they faced in their different professional career phases. Moreover, the developmental patterns manifested in English teacher-researchers who thrive in both teaching and research differ in their resilience development.

Contributing factors to English teacher-researchers’ resilience

The two patterns (low-to-high and W-shaped recovery) revealed that the two teacher-researchers’ resilience developed differently in different phases, indicating the unique features of their individual characteristics and the environments in which they worked and lived. The constructed stories indicated two categories of factors contributing to their resilience: individual and environmental protective factors. The dynamic interactions between individual and environmental protective factors were also beneficial.

Individual protective factors: personal traits count

The individual protective factors mentioned by the participants included personal traits, professional reflection and growth, self-efficacy, coping skills, and teaching skills.

Secondary school English teacher-researcher’s personal traits positively influence their resilience. First, tenacity is a force that keeps the two teachers moving forward in the face of difficulties. Revising research articles was a challenge for Wan, but he persisted: ‘Do you think I was about to give up? Giving up is not my personality’ (Wan-I-16). Ming submitted a revised article of great difficulty in a situation in which she was already very busy. Emotional intelligence enabled the two teacher-researchers to regulate their negative emotions in challenging circumstances. When Wan was transferred to a disadvantaged school for three years, he felt like he had lost his grip. However, he tried to remain optimistic: ‘If I did not regulate my negative emotions and I kept comparing these students with those I taught before, I would be frustrated, and that was of no use’ (Wan-I-5). Finally, altruism, as the source of teachers’ care for students, brought about students’ recognition and further strengthened teacher resilience. Taking Wan as an example, he said, ‘I was responsible for every student I taught’ (Wan-I-10). He still had high expectations for his students despite their economic backgrounds.

Professional reflection and growth encompass three aspects: learning, reflection, and proactivity. First, both teacher-researchers constantly reflected on their teaching and writing skills. For example, Wan kept all the writing materials from the first draft to the final draft, as well as the editor’s suggestions for revision. Ming often reflected on her writing through reading. She wanted to determine why she was rejected by reading other teachers’ articles on the same topic and found that they had novel ideas and provided supporting examples. Second, the two teacher-researchers were committed to their ongoing professional learning, which helped them catch up with the times and refreshed their beliefs. Both participants mentioned that they had improved their teaching skills and academic writing abilities by reading extensively, taking notes, and learning from others’ experiences. Third, with increasing experience and recognised achievements in teaching and research, Wan volunteered to mentor younger teachers. As an increasing number of teachers viewed him as a role model, he identified himself as a guide for young teachers at his school:

I am very willing to mentor young teachers and strongly welcome them to join my research group. I could give them guidance and help them to make great progress. I can also learn something from them. (Wan-I-3)

Furthermore, resilient English teacher-researchers possess a sense of self-efficacy, feel confident, and are competent at teaching and research. Wan and Ming’s self-efficacy increased as their achievements increased. For example, Wan believed that he could teach well, and his self-efficacy increased as his students obtained good grades under his guidance:

I majored in English education so I know how to learn English more effectively. I shared how I learned English effectively with my students. Consequently, both classes got high rankings in examinations. It positively influenced my confidence. (Wan-I-1)

This study indicated that coping skills promoted resilience in the two participants. Coping skills refer to teachers’ active use of problem-solving strategies, including time management, help-seeking, and interpersonal skills. Good time management skills helped these teachers overcome challenges such as imbalances between work and life, heavy workloads, and long working hours. For example, after Ming’s students’ reading ability improved with extra-curricular reading tasks, she was relatively free from the pressure of test scores. Thus, she spent more time looking for research topics and writing articles: ‘A famous teacher once said that we teachers should be the masters of our time. So, I read journal articles between classes and revised my writings when I was on duty’ (Ming-I-2). Help-seeking skills empowered these teachers to obtain timely and valuable help from their social networks when facing challenges. Ming sometimes turned to her mentor, Mr Feng, for advice and sometimes chatted with her friend, Ms Yi, another teacher-researcher, to reduce her stress and anxiety. Interpersonal skills helped build rapport with others, which contributed to the teacher-researchers’ resilience. Ming managed to build good teacher-student rapport, which benefited her students’ development and her own resilience: ‘Students have relatively more freedom in my class as I believe too many rules would dull them. Sometimes, students are naughty; in fact, they need teachers to have conversations with them as equals’ (Ming-I-8).

Teaching skills were identified as the final individual protective factor that contributed to teachers’ resilience. The two English teacher-researchers who excelled in teaching and research knew how to help students succeed in learning English. Improvements in students’ English proficiency could create a sense of achievement that could add to their resilience. For example, in the context of test-oriented education, Wan showed his teaching wisdom:

I knew how to instruct students to answer questions by referring to my own learning experience. For example, I asked students to underline the keywords or critical sentences for multiple-choice questions. These test-taking strategies have certainly helped my students. In the final examination, the average scores of the two classes I taught were in the top among the 12 parallel classes. (Wan-I-1)

In addition to knowing students well, these teachers are keen to explore new teaching methods suitable for their students. The success of new teaching methods promotes teachers’ resilience. Ming described her implementation of extracurricular reading training as a prompt to develop resilience:

At the beginning of the teaching, I just asked them to read and finish the task lists I made for them. Later, I set a few requirements and invited the students to design tasks. They thus made great strides in reading. (Ming-I-2)

Thus, both teachers’ excellent teaching skills helped their students improve their learning attitudes and academic performance. These factors positively influenced their resilience.

Environmental protective factors: relational support matters

Teachers’ resilience-building processes are influenced positively or negatively by the quality of the relationships in which their work and lives are embedded (Gu and Li, 2013 ). Apart from support from school leaders, mentors, colleagues, and students, teacher resilience is also closely associated with support from family members and friends, as well as the support they receive during their pre-service academic training. It was concluded that these were environmental protective factors for teacher-researchers resilience.

Both participants had two types of relationships with their colleagues: the mentor–learner relationship in their early careers and the colleague relationship in teaching research groups. Both these relationships are conducive to the development of resilience. For example, Ming expressed gratitude to her mentor, Mr Feng. She said that Mr Feng is ‘a significant person in my professional development’ (Ming-I-3). Without his help and guidance, Ming would not have made significant progress in teaching or research: ‘Not until Mr Feng came to my school did I realise how important a mentor was. If I had had a mentor when I was a novice teacher, I would have done better than now’ (Ming-I-6). In addition to their mentors, the two teacher-researchers valued their colleagues’ assistance. Wan was very proud of receiving the provincial award and shared the good news with an elderly teacher in the same office, who always encouraged him. Support from school leaders was also mentioned. The school leader trusted Ming by providing both intellectual and emotional support:

Our school principal teaches politics and she actively engages in teaching research herself. She attaches great importance to training teachers’ ability to conduct classroom research. She sets an excellent example for other teachers and for me. (Ming-I-3)

Furthermore, trusting student–teacher relationships are crucial for maintaining teacher-researchers’ resilience and helping them overcome challenging situations. The closeness between Wan and his students maintained his teaching effectiveness. Ming mentioned that recognition from students ‘makes me much happier than a financial bonus’ (Ming-I-10). Student support affords teachers with additional emotional, intellectual, and vocational strengths that enhance their resilience in both teaching and research.

Family support was also significant. Ming shouldered great responsibility for her family but also received support from her husband and mother-in-law. Her husband always supported her in doing what she liked, especially writing articles. Ming’s friends also provided substantial help. When Ming was in trouble, she often turned to Ms Yi, another English teacher-researcher.

Ming also highlighted the influence of pre-service academic training on teachers’ engagement in classroom research. Although Ming did not specialise in English education when she was a postgraduate, she learned language learning theories by reading journal articles. Academic reading and writing training in pre-service education provides the impetus for her to overcome the challenges of thesis writing.

This study identified two patterns of resilience development among secondary school English teacher-researchers, namely, low-to-high and W-shaped recovery. These findings highlight the dynamic nature of resilience development. Furthermore, this study revealed individual and environmental protective factors that contribute to resilience. The findings echo those of existing studies, while presenting some novel contributions.

Uncovering the dynamic feature of English teacher-researchers’ resilience development

This study identified two resilience development patterns among secondary school English teacher-researchers. The first pattern, low-to-high, represented by Ming, is characterised as increasing resilience, ultimately leading to a stable, high resilience level. This is consistent with the findings of Sun and Li ( 2021 ) in terms of explicit manifestation; however, some subtle differences remain. First, the reason for the initial relatively low resilience level in Sun and Li’s ( 2021 ) study was rural school teachers’ passive choice of the teaching profession, while the teacher-researcher Ming’s low resilience at first in this study was mainly attributed to teaching pressure. Second, Ming’s increasing resilience was related to her inner calling to teach, strength gained from her moral purposes and ethical values, and research conduct, which is different from the cases in Sun and Li ( 2021 ), where social perceptions of teachers’ status mattered significantly.

The identity of the teacher-researcher brings rich connotations to the dynamic development of resilience. First, teacher-researchers certainly encounter both teaching- and research-related risk factors in resilience development. Teacher-researchers’ resilience would be better maintained or increased when they successfully overcome difficulties in revising and publishing articles, indicating the coexistence of challenges and opportunities for front-line teachers to conduct research. The resilience recovery process also emphasises the critical role of support from family members, colleagues, leaders, and editors, which concurs with the findings of previous studies (e.g. Gu, 2014 ; Kostoulas and Lammerer, 2018 ; Ainsworth and Oldfield, 2019 ; Duan et al., 2023 ).

The W-shaped recovery pattern, represented by Wan in this study, is slightly different from the occasional waves found by Sun and Li ( 2021 ). Following this pattern, Wan’s resilience has wavered back and forth between medium and high levels in recent years. Most fluctuations in Wan’s resilience development reflected obvious twists or important events, while the occasional waves observed by Sun and Li ( 2021 ) were influenced by personal perceptions, such as workload and lasting homesickness. This difference supports Gu and Day’s ( 2013 ) argument that teachers’ sense of resilience fluctuates to varying degrees due to the interactions between individuals and the contexts in which they work and live. Like other novice teachers (Tait, 2008 ; Fan et al., 2021 ; Duan et al., 2023 ), Wan’s resilience continued to increase during his early career because of his students’ improved academic performance. Later, standing at the crossroads of their professional lives, in Gu and Day’s ( 2007 ) opinion, teachers must decide whether to pursue career advancement or to remain in the classroom fulfilling the original call to teach. Wan’s incentives pushed him forward as research targets were established. However, Wan experienced diminished resilience twice: first when he was transferred to a disadvantaged school in which he was emotionally challenged by students, verifying Day’s ( 2008 ) proposal that teachers’ resilience is more persistently challenged in more disadvantaged schools. The second time was because of heavy workloads, as reported by Wan. One possible explanation is that teaching is highly demanding owing to its emotional and intellectual nature (Mercer, 2023 ), and less intensive stressors, such as increasing workloads, can cause teachers’ resilience to fluctuate. This supports Gu and Day’s ( 2013 ) argument that teachers’ resilience is closely related to their everyday capacity to navigate the daily uncertainties that are integral to teaching. As Wan’s pattern suggests, he later recovered from low resilience, which can be partly attributed to the benefits teacher-researchers can obtain from educational research, as reported by prior studies (Atay, 2006 ; Borg, 2010 ; Xue, 2021 ; Wang and He, 2022 ).

These two patterns confirm the dynamic features of resilience development (Day, 2014 ; Mansfield et al. 2016 ; Li et al., 2019 ; Fan et al., 2021 ; Sun and Li, 2021 ), which are both role- and context-specific (Gu, 2014 ). Regarding role-specific features, the different resilience stories and resilience development patterns of Ming and Wan revealed the uniqueness of each individual, which was related to their different educational backgrounds, teaching beliefs, career phases, and so on (Gu and Day, 2007 ). Furthermore, the teacher-researchers in our study may have experienced challenges or fluctuations commonly shared by teachers, but of different intensities, echoing Xue’s ( 2021 ) finding that academic research stimulates teachers to be more responsive and resilient in ever-changing contexts. Concerning context-specific features, individual teachers’ resilience development is understood in their situational cultures and contexts (Gu, 2018 ; Han, 2022 ). In the Chinese context, the last two decades have witnessed many educational reforms (Li et al., 2019 ), bringing uncertainty to frontline teachers and requiring them to enhance their resilience to better cope with difficulties in transforming teaching practices. The two teacher-researchers in this study adapted resiliently to their situational contexts, achieving enhanced teaching and research performance.

Highlighting interactive factors of English teacher-researchers’ resilience

This study supports Beltman et al.’s ( 2011 ) classification of the factors contributing to teacher resilience. These protective factors, in different combinations and embedded in complex conditions (Gu and Day, 2013 ), function as a whole to positively influence English teacher-researchers resilience.

The data analysis sorted individual protective factors into five categories: personal traits, professional reflection and growth, self-efficacy, coping skills, and teaching skills. Key personal traits reported by previous studies also surfaced from the interview data, including altruism (Day and Gu, 2014 ), intrinsic motivation (Gu and Day, 2013 ), and emotional intelligence (Xie, 2021 ). Moreover, both teacher-researchers’ initial self-efficacy correlated with personal traits in building resilience, confirming the interaction between teachers’ self-efficacy and the resilient qualities found by Day and Gu ( 2014 ) and Xue ( 2021 ).

The two teacher-researchers’ professional development went far beyond honing their teaching skills. They actively participated in classroom research, the extent of which indicated that they have conducted classroom research for a long time on account of professional title promotion and teaching enthusiasm. This necessitates abundant literature reading and reflective writing, two other ways to promote teacher-researchers’ professional development. Benefiting from reciprocal connections between educational research and classroom teaching, the two teacher-researchers thrived in both areas. Hence, they were more likely to be equipped with the everyday resilience (Gu and Day, 2013 ) required to deal with routine pressures and unavoidable uncertainties commonly shared by teachers in their everyday work and lives (Gu, 2018 ). Thus, this study, through a resilience lens, provides convincing evidence that highlights the necessity and value of encouraging teachers to focus on both teaching and research to promote sustainable professional development. Some frontline teachers may find conducting classroom research burdensome, which seems to contribute little to their resilience. In contrast, the two participants in this study were gradually characterised by a research mindset and identified themselves as teacher-researchers. Diverse affordances from their surroundings, which were explored as environmental factors in this study, greatly contributed to their research engagement. The diverse perceptions of the notion of research recognised by teachers suggest that they had various and more manageable choices in terms of the types of classroom research. These factors jointly made them resilient teacher-researchers.

Additionally, coping skills, which reflect teachers’ dispositions toward responding to pressures and navigating challenges (Liu and Chu, 2022 ), were found to play a role in shaping teacher resilience. Ming actively employed coping skills to develop a close teacher–student rapport with mischievous students. In this way, coping skills helped improve the environment in which she worked and strengthened her resilience, highlighting individuals’ active interaction and negotiation with the environment in the resilience-building process.

Along with the five aforementioned individual protective factors, contextual factors also contribute to teachers’ resilience, as has been overwhelmingly reported (e.g. Mansfield et al., 2012 ; Gu and Day, 2013 ; Fan et al., 2021 ; Chu and Liu, 2022 ). The contextual protective factors identified in this study included support outside of school, such as family and friends; support within school, such as students, mentors, leaders, and colleagues; and support from pre-service programs, such as the experience of academic training and research cooperation. Varying degrees of support from students, principals, mentors, and family members were found to help teacher-researchers sustain their resilience, justifying researchers’ attention to trusting social networks (Gu and Li, 2013 ; Day and Gu, 2014 ; Gu, 2018 ; Xue, 2021 ). Notably, pre-service programs conducive to building resilience were only mentioned by Ming, who gained effective thesis writing training in college. A few studies have directly explored the positive effects of pre-service programmes on resilience building (Mansfield et al., 2016 ), but many studies (e.g. Tait, 2008 ; Beltman et al., 2011 ; Gu and Day, 2013 ; Fan et al., 2021 ) have provided implications for pre-service programmes, suggesting their essentially positive role in developing teachers’ resilience; few have paid attention to pre-service academic writing training, as mentioned by Ming. This may be attributed to the scarcity of research on teacher-researchers’ resilience development.

Informed by Wang and Lo ( 2022 ) who highlighted the interaction among different ecosystems in their study of resilience development among rural Chinese teachers from a socio-ecological perspective, this study found that teacher-researchers developed resilience in their dynamic interactions with contexts at different levels, such as society, schools, and families. Instead of being a given and static asset, the context was constructed to some extent by resilient individuals themselves. For example, contexts conducive to teachers’ resilience development feature trusting social networks, the construction of which depends on teachers’ employment of individual protective factors such as emotional intelligence and coping skills. Recent studies have found an interactive nature in resilience development (Chu et al., 2021 ; Liu and Chu, 2022 ; Wang and Lo, 2022 ), indicating that the ecologically constructed concept of resilience (Gu, 2018 ) provides a more informative perspective for understanding the development of teacher resilience.

This study adds to the literature on teacher resilience by underscoring the dynamic nature of teacher researchers’ resilience development, an underexplored topic in resilience studies. This study revealed the patterns of two Chinese secondary school English teacher-researchers’ resilience development and identified the contributing factors. This study further unpacks the interactive relationship between individual and environmental protective factors in shaping teacher-researchers’ resilience.

This study proposes several implications for teacher development and education. First, as resilience plays a protective and even facilitating role in teachers’ career development by empowering them to bounce back in the face of adversity, measures should be taken to strengthen teachers’ resilience. Participants showed dynamic resilience, where the level fluctuated at different stages, and they were most likely to suffer from a performative culture and perceive weak resilience over the initial years of their careers. At this vulnerable and powerless stage, schools and educational departments should provide resilience training to ease teachers’ emotional burdens and establish a favourable working environment for their psychological health and professional growth.

Second, being a teacher-researcher offered participants more opportunities and diverse ways to enact resilience in educational contexts, highlighting the value of participating in classroom research. Hence, we suggest that different stakeholders make joint efforts to cultivate teacher-researchers in secondary schools to ensure teachers’ ongoing career development and students’ academic performance. Teachers could seek time to read extensively, especially academic monographs and journal papers, improve their academic expression and logical thinking, and engage in writing and submitting research papers. Teacher educators should pursue the goal of cultivating teacher-researchers in pre-service teacher education programmes by balancing practical and research-oriented courses, arranging regular academic writing sessions, and discussing papers and lessons from frontline teacher-researchers. Schools could encourage teachers to apply for teaching research projects, invite experts to give lectures, and provide teachers with opportunities for research training, creating a favourable atmosphere for conducting teacher research. Educational administrators should attach importance to the professional development of in-service teachers and strive to provide opportunities for further study.

This study has some limitations that suggest directions for future research. First, it relied on self-reported data from two secondary school English teacher-researchers. The small sample size and retrospective nature of the data cannot fully track teacher resilience development over time. Second, the absence of observational data made it difficult to explore how participants exhibited and gained resilience in real life. Future research should focus on a larger and more diverse sample to provide a richer and more nuanced understanding of resilience development patterns among teacher-researchers. Further research is needed to explore the resilience of underexplored teacher populations, including but not limited to pre-service, novice, and rural teachers, to construct a fuller picture of teacher resilience and to offer more constructive implications for developing and strengthening resilience in continuing development.

Data availability

Data in this study are not publicly available to protect participants’ privacy. Data can be made available upon written request to the corresponding author Qian Wang.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Jiangsu Education Science Planning Project (C/2023/01/122) and the China National Social Science Fund (22BYY203). We are thankful to the reviewers and editors for their invaluable suggestions. We express our heartfelt gratitude to the participants for their engagement. We also thank Cyrus Tang Foundation’s Tang Scholar Project and Yanan Xu and Ziyi Liu for their support.

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Haibo Gu: Conceptualization, Methodology, Funding acquisition, Data analysis, Writing - review & editing. Siyi Wang: Conceptualization, Methodology, Data analysis, Writing -original draft. Xiaofeng Chen: Writing-review & editing. Qian Wang: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Writing-review & editing.

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Gu, H., Wang, S., Chen, X. et al. Exploring the resilience development of secondary school English teacher-researchers: a Chinese case study. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 11 , 806 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03346-1

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From curriculum reform to classroom practice: intentions, perceptions, and actual implementation in English secondary schools in Libya

Omar, Tarig Abdulatif Saleh (2019) From curriculum reform to classroom practice: intentions, perceptions, and actual implementation in English secondary schools in Libya. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

In the last decade, curriculum developers have stressed the important role that teachers play in translating educational reforms into classroom practice. In Libya, the English language curriculum reform of 2000, which reflects a learner-centred philosophy of language teaching and learning, was intended to enable learners to communicate effectively in English. To achieve this goal, the reformers called for a learner-centred approach to learning through the use of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) and Cooperative Learning (CL), as both are believed to maximise the learners’ exposure to meaningful learning experiences in a democratic and cooperative environment. However, despite its popularity in the field of English language teaching (ELT), there were many issues stemming from the teachers’ implementation of CLT. Working as an English language teacher in a Libyan university raised my awareness of the difficulties associated with recruiting students for the department of English and linguistics. This complex situation sparked my interest in undertaking a research study to investigate the reasons behind this observed lack of English competence among Libyan secondary school graduates. Therefore, using Cultural Historical Activity Theory as a theoretical framework, this research study investigated English language teachers’ implementation of the present curriculum, which was introduced two decades ago. This research particularly aims to investigate the extent to which the perceptions of Libyan English language teachers in relation to language teaching and learning in general and in relation to CLT in particular are congruent with the pedagogical changes advocated by Libyan curriculum makers. To investigate this phenomenon, a qualitative research design was employed as a mode of inquiry. An in-depth examination was conducted with ten secondary-school Libyan English language teachers, who were sampled purposively, in one city in eastern Libya. Complementary data collected through vignettes, initial and follow-up semi-structured interviews, and classroom observations were analysed and synthesised to promote the credibility and trustworthiness of the findings. These data, which were analysed thematically, yielded the themes and sub-themes which constitute the results of this research study. Using Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as a lens helped to elucidate the very complex issues that secondary-school English language learning and teaching in Libya has been facing in the last 18 years or so. This research contributed by offering the following findings: (a) although teachers in this study reported positive views about CLT in general and learner-centred teaching in particular, inconsistencies between what teachers reported and their practice were also identified. Their practice, influenced by their experiences as language learners at their university, by their school culture, and by their professional context, seemingly remained teacher-centred; (b) this observed inconsistency has a huge impact not only on their overall practice (e.g. CL was almost non-existent in their practice and very few attempts were made to conduct pair or group work activities), but, more importantly, on the quality of Libyan students’ English language experiences; (c) these findings are interconnected with the teaching preparation and professional support that secondary-school Libyan English language teachers were offered at their university; (d) the findings also suggested that the Libyan school culture, in general, tended to be incompatible with the current English curriculum principles and intentions; and (e) English language teachers were isolated as they were the only Libyan teachers required to implement the English language curriculum reform. A different approach to learning was employed in other curricular areas, especially Arabic language learning, where teachers were not subject to these curricular reforms or expected to utilise a new pedagogical approach. Overall, these research findings offer a more comprehensive overview of this nationwide problem in order to elucidate the issues, encourage a joined-up approach to tackling them, and make recommendations to different stakeholders in order to seek potential ways forward, with a view to resolving the situation. Important points for consideration are presented that are likely to improve the implementation of the present English language curriculum, the most important of which are the need to (a) adjust the university English curriculum as well as the teaching approach to be in harmony with the professional context and culture of Libyan schools; (b) establish more coordination and communication between teacher training programmes, schools, and curriculum designers; and (c) conduct further research to extend the findings and contributions of this research.

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Problems and Prospects of Teaching English Language in Secondary Schools

Abstract of Problems and Prospects of Teaching English Language in Secondary Schools

The objective of this research work was to find out the problems and prospects of teaching English Language in Secondary Schools in Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu State. This research work as an investigation to find data for this study, a total of two hundred (200) respondents were selected from a population of one thousand people. After carrying out the research, the research found that the teaching and learning of English Language in Secondary Schools in Enugu South has a lot of problems which include: (a) Lack of qualified English teachers in those schools. (b) Lack of language laboratories in the schools (c) Inadequate use of teaching materials and (d) Lack of conducive environment for learning (e) Lack of incentive and lack instructional material or teaching resources etc. These entire problems affect the teaching and learning of English Language in Secondary Schools sin those schools in Enugu South.

Chapter One of Problems and Prospects of Teaching English Language in Secondary Schools

INTRODUCTION

English is one of the major languages out of about 5000 estimated languages spoken in the world. About 200 years ago, English was simply the language of less than 15million peoples. Today, however, English is used by more than 300million people and second only to Chinese as regards the number of people using a particular language. Oga R.O (2007), ascertained that English Language is one of the most influential and fast growing languages spoken across the globe. One fifth of the earth’s land surface use English either as native tongue or official language. Of the entire World’s Languages English is the most widely studies language, especially in areas where it is not native. Today, English is used in several countries in the American continent including the United States of America and Canada, New Zealand, Republic of South Africa, Australia, Nigeria and Ghana, including other countries in the West African, Sub continent. Though English was actually the language of colonization in these countries like India they have since remained the official languages in most of the colonized territories. In other countries including Japan and China according to Udemba S.C (2007), English Language is usually taught as the chief foreign language. Equally, about half of the world’s scientific and technical journals, as well as newspapers, are printed in English. During the cold war the former Soviet Union used English in their propaganda broadcasts across the developing countries in Africa and Asia. The spread of English is further enhanced through the establishment of British Council and United States information service by the British and U.S governments respectively with centers and libraries in various countries including Nigeria. All these factors have therefore made it easy for anyone who understands and speaks English, and moves around major cities in the world to communicate effectively with one another. According to Anibueze (2007), English Language is a lingua franca. As a lingua franca, it is the language for unification. It is highly established so that the people of varied language will have purposes to relate together maturely and work in union. For example, Hausa man may comfortably stay and effectively speak with a Yoruba man or an Igbo man, advice versa.

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The English Language has remained a very important tool for socialization and bureaucracy activities in Nigeria, since the days of colonialism. Then, English was taught to their native servants just to equip them for domestic functions. It was only natural that emphasis wad laid on spoken English only and not either on written English or both of them. However, with the emergence of a new class of people, with time, the civil servants, and their new roles in the colonial administration, the teaching and learning of the language took another forms: Written English become prominent. Edward W.T. (2003) ascertained that this was very important as Nigeria which is a British began to interact with other British Colonies and citizens in Africa. Today English is the language for the international community, According to Ezugu (1995), the English Language is the most widely spoken language in the world. It is used as either a primary or secondary language in many countries. It is the Language of education administration, law, World trade, International diplomacy as well as that of pop culture. It is therefore worth while acquiring mastery of this very important language for whoever does not, has deprived himself of access to the world’s brightest of idea and modern technologies. In Nigeria today English remains the language of pedagogy, students can hardly make commendable progress in their studies without adequate mastery of English, through which most of the courses in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions are taught and examined. This calls for a system that would be both rudimentary and functional in its approach. This is important for according to Umaru (2005) as a student learn a new language, very often he does not know how to express what he wants to say in writing. Since the student uses a foreign language as a medium of communication, he has to start from the scratch to learn the rudiments of the language. It is natural then that this is the junction where the various problems arising from the teaching and learning of the language meet the need to do so properly. Language Teaching, according to Oluikpe (2003) the basic criteria for assessing students’ proficiency in writing and speak are generally control of the basic grammatical categories such as punctuation, tense, number, gender etc. Language Teaching in Nigeria had fraught with deficiencies. The major reason for these deficiencies is our English teachers who are not well-trained only but are also non-professionals. And even if they are some what trained, their training is not up to work. A situation where a teacher of language has no mastery of it grammatical categories, as we see today, does not mean well for the system. Also writing on these problems facing language teaching, Regneret al (2001) ascertained that “many good teachers are adoptive rather than rigid in their approach to teaching children and only loosely base on their instruction on a given method. Language is the official medium of communication to humans. It is one of the things that differentiate man from animals. Signs and symbols have no International understanding and may be difficult to understand. Picture, painting and sculptures cannot be read by all. This makes language superior to all of them because it is easily understood and generally used. According to Ozohili Oby (2007) language literally means the “tongue” a human organ used in speaking. According to Ozohili (2007), traditionally, language is defined as a system of arbitrary vocal symbols by which thoughts are communicated from one being to another. Language Learning: Human beings has the ability to learn and to understand and think about things. He has the capacity to gain and use knowledge. He can as well explore situations, collect information, plan and execute the plans. Man’s high intelligence has also enable him to evolve a level of linguistic communication by which life can be regulated. Theodore M.C, (2001) stated that language learning requires thoroughly time, patience and practice. It cannot be done solely in school with the large class but requires few minutes daily practice for individual students. Therefore, pupils and students should be encouraged to practice this language in their leisure time inorder to master the language as required. Methodology: The methodology here refers to the method by which the teachers presents his/her materials to the learners and engages them in the task at hand. Methodology is very vital in every teaching-learning situation. For according to Robert .M., (2003) for effective teaching and learning to take place, the skillful teacher needs to use the many different methods and techniques at his command. Even though there is a great diversity in teaching methods and techniques, there is no one of them that can be regarded as the best for every teaching situation. This is however assumed that a carefully designed teaching method can work wonders in making learning more effective. The Teaching Materials: The teaching materials involves the dominance of textbooks, dictionaries, chalkboards, workbooks, (which are rarely used) and posters in the teaching of English Language in Secondary Schools in Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu State has been counter – productive. Modern media such as audio and video tapes, language laboratories, programmed texts, flash cards, computers, magazines and newspapers are not in use. These findings agree with those of kolawole (1998) who found that the teaching of English Language is bedeviled with many problems such as inadequate of adequate and useful resources.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The English Language is our cultural window into the world of heterogeneous culture and traditions. It is a gate of all higher intellectual pursuit. It is our medium of instruction in schools from the kindergarten to university level. Therefore, students at the secondary school levels are expected to communicate effectively in writing using the English Language. It is however regrettable that the teaching of this important tool of both effective education and national/international socialization at secondary schools in Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu State, just like in other secondary schools in Nigeria had been suffering some defects and neglects alike. Lack of qualified teacher equipped to groom the students seems to be the major problems in the schools – Text books are constantly changed thereby causing disjointed teaching method. Other instructional materials are also not available. Language Laboratory to aid the acquisition and master of English Sounds is a strange story to both the teachers and students in this area. Above all, mother tongue interference poses a debilitating danger to the prospect of good English acquisition in those secondary schools. Since the students first acquired their mother tongue before learning the English Language this leads to grammatical errors in time of their performance as these vernacular patterns are different from English patterns.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The major aim of this study is to determine the problems facing the teaching and learning of the English Language in the Secondary Schools in Enugu South Local Government Area and possible prospects to that specifically, the study indented to: (i) Identify and classify these problems (ii) Determine the magnitude of these problems (iii) Make recommendation for more language.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Any academic research embarked upon must be aimed towards achieving a particular goal which will be significant to the society. Based on this, the findings of this study will provide us with the basic information on the nature and causes of these problems, which will be of a great importance to teach the students in Enugu South educational zone. Therefore, they will go along way in improving teachers teaching method and students standard in both written and spoken English, so as to enhance good performance of the students in examinations. It will help teachers to know the areas in which these problems occur mostly and frequently and then improve their teaching strategies. The findings of the study will help authors and textbook publishers to know the areas to stress the subject.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions have been formulated to guide the study: (a) Do Secondary School teachers use instructional resources frequently in teaching the English Language? (b) Do the English Language teaches use appropriate methods in teaching English Language frequently? (c) Do Secondary School students in Enugu South Local Government Area learn English Language in environment conducive to learning? (d) Do you think that the existing condition can be improved upon?

THE SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study covered the following: the problems of teaching English Language, the methods and techniques of teaching English in Secondary Schools, an examination of problems encountered by teachers in their classes.

LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

In consequence with the topic of this project which is “problems and prospects of teaching English Language in Secondary Schools in Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu State”. The researcher has no intention to study other Schools outside the given Local Government Area. Efforts made in the past improving these problems will not receive attention for treatment here since the existence of the problems prove them ineffective. Again, the major focus would be on problems encountered by teachers in teaching the course. Consequently, students’ experiences would be treated referentially, while teachers become the main guinea pig.

DEFINITION OF THE TERMS

The following words and phrases which form the foundation for this study are hereby explained for the effective comprehension of this research work: (i) Problems and prospects: Problems, for the purpose of this study refers to those situations whose presence affects the smooth teaching of English in Secondary Schools in Enugu South Local Government Area. Prospects also refers to situations that could facilitate the process. (ii) Language Teaching and Learning: With reference to English Language, this means the whole activities that surround the process of acquiring English as second language by students in Enugu South Local Government Area. (iii) Methodology: This means the various systematic approaches in language teaching. Methodology is the method by which the teacher presents his material to the learners and engages then in the task at hand. (iv) Instructional materials: These are closely associated with the selection of teacher or student activities are the necessary materials that will aid and facilitate learning. These can motivate students and serves as effective ways to explain and illustrate subject content. These materials include apparatus, chemicals, textbooks, specimens, charts, audio visual aids, models and other items for individual and group use.

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“NYC Solves” Centers Evidence-Based Math Curriculum and Educator Coaching for Middle and High School After Years of Stagnant Math Scores, Particularly for Students of Color

Mayor Adams, Chancellor Banks Unveil More Equitable Vision for Future of New York City Public Schools With Signature Math Initiative and new Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning

June 24, 2024

Watch the video here at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzDDmhnvgHY

New Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning Will Serve Multilingual Learners and Students with Disabilities, Represents Administration’s Laser-Focus on Equity

Announcements Build on Record-Achievements During First Half of Adams Administration

Aimed at Investing in School Communities, Bolstering Student Curriculum to Drive Accelerated Outcomes, and Creating Equitable and Comprehensive Learning Environment

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Public Schools Chancellor David C. Banks today unveiled their vision for the future of the city’s public schools with the launch of “ NYC Solves ,” a major citywide initiative to raise math achievement so all students graduate with strong math skills. Building off the early success of “ NYC Reads ,” this visionary shift revolutionizes and standardizes how math is taught in schools through high-quality, research-based curricula implemented across districts with intensive educator training and coaching. Through NYC Solves, schools will take a collaborative problem-solving approach that encourages students to explore multiple strategies and make connections between current and past solutions, fostering deeper understanding and independence in learning to fight a persistent problem: fear of math. This fall, 93 middle schools in eight districts and 420 high schools across the city will use the Illustrative Math curriculum, supported by intensive teacher coaching.  

The Adams administration also announced the creation of the Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning (DIAL). Long-time Chief of Special Education Christina Foti will be elevated to deputy chancellor to lead this new division. Under her leadership, this new division will focus on supporting multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Reflecting Mayor Adams’ commitment to serving all students and families, this new division will build holistic educational experiences for every student — no matter their background or ability — that equip them to graduate on a pathway to a rewarding career and long-term economic security.  

“New York City has never had a mayor and a chancellor who know what it is like to come up through our city’s modern school system, but our efforts are already changing our public schools for the better, and today, we’re taking our efforts even further with investments in our young people for years to come,” said Mayor Adams . “Our new Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning will focus on supporting multilingual learners, and students with disabilities so every student can excel academically, be prepared for a rewarding career, and economic security — no matter their background or needs. And ‘NYC Solves’ will transform how we are teaching math in New York City and continue our track record of improving math scores by double digits. As someone who suffers from dyslexia, I can empathize with any student who struggles with school. But the equation we’re announcing today is simple: when you take good policy and multiply it by hard work, the net result will always be positive. Over the past two years, we have built a long record of accomplishments, but we are only just beginning to create a brighter future for our students and families.”

“Through the creation of the Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning, under the staunch leadership of Christina Foti, we’re saying loudly and clearly that every student and their lifelong success is paramount,” said Public Schools Chancellor Banks . “No matter a student’s disability or level of English language proficiency, we’re committed to championing our kids and providing the services they need to excel academically and in life. I’m also proud to be following the groundbreaking rollout of ‘NYC Reads’ with ‘NYC Solves,’ reimagining math education and ensuring students and educators have access to high-quality instructional materials and support. This is an exciting day for not only our system, but the national education landscape, and I’m proud and eager to see the impact of this work for years to come.”

“For too long, our young students with disabilities and multilingual learners have struggled in a system that historically wasn’t fully able to meet them where they are,” said  Chief of Staff Camille Joesph Varlack . “Today’s announcement of the creation of the Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning recommits our administration’s goal to ensure our young students with disabilities and multilingual learners have the necessary supports needed to learn and thrive and every child in our city has access to a quality education that meets their unique needs. Early learning is the key to success for all young children, but it is particularly important for children with disabilities and multilingual learners. Early intervention makes an impact to manage or overcome students' challenges and under the leadership of Deputy Chancellor Foti, we will strengthen our city's education system, and will reimagine how we ensure every student — regardless of background or ability — thrives in our classrooms and beyond.”

“Today marks a significant step forward in our commitment to equity and excellence in New York City's public schools,” said  First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright . “With the launch of 'NYC Solves' and the establishment of the Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning, we are laying the foundation for an education that sets every student up for success. By revolutionizing how we teach mathematics and enhancing support for multilingual learners and students with disabilities, we are ensuring that every child has the tools and opportunities they need to thrive.”

“New York City Public Schools' vision for our youngest New Yorkers, particularly our multi-language learners and our students with disabilities, is just another step taken by the Adams administration to create a more equitable city,” said  Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives Ana J. Almanzar.  “This is further echoed with the creation of New York City Public Schools' Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning, charged with ensuring that ALL students meet their fullest potential.”

“The launch of the Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning in New York City Public Schools builds on a long-standing tradition of marginalized communities and their allies working together for real, lasting change,” said Public Schools Deputy Chancellor Foti. “The Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning is dedicated to creating an educational environment where every student thrives through comprehensive inclusivity and accessibility. This division embodies our commitment to recognizing, uplifting, and supporting the diverse needs of all our students, ensuring each child has the opportunity to succeed. This isn’t just the creation of a new division — this is our mayor and chancellor’s elevation and prioritization of our students, their families, and their communities.” 

NYC Solves Building off the work that began with NYC Reads, NYC Solves aims to address inequities using evidence-based curriculum combined with intensive educator coaching. Historically, student performance in higher grade math has been stagnant, especially for Black and Brown students. Statewide, only  47.8 percent of middle school students meet proficiency standards on state math exams, with a 37-point gap between white and Black students, and a 34-point gap between white and Latino students in New York City. Despite this, last year under the Adams administration, math proficiency rates increased by 12 percentage points and today’s announcement builds on this unprecedented increase in math achievement by focusing next year on middle school math while extending the city’s work on 9th grade algebra. Later phases will extend to the remaining high school grades, as well as elementary and a District 75 schools. 

Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning This first-of-its-kind divisional structure will offer a bold vision that furthers the Adams administration’s commitment to ensuring that multilingual learners and students with disabilities — who have been underserved for decades — finally get consistent, top-quality instruction with the support they need to excel. Under Deputy Chancellor Foti’s leadership, DIAL’s over $750 million budget and approximately 1,300 staff members will advance work, programs, and opportunities to support these students. DIAL will expand inclusive programs, such as bilingual programs and programs for students with autism; streamline the process for getting specialized services to students; and build skills of all of the city’s public school educators to bring improved curriculum and instruction to this population of students. Effective programs like, Autism Nest, Horizon, and Path — which boast a 95 percent graduation rate for participants — will continue under these offices. DIAL will also be instrumental in supporting NYC Reads and NYC Solves by working alongside the Division of School Leadership to ensure all teachers develop the skills needed to support the diverse needs of all learners. Efforts will remain under two separate workstreams as the Office of Special Education, under interim Chief Suzanne Sanchez, and the Office of Multilingual Learners, under Chief Mirza Sánchez-Medina. As part of this new divisional work, the Office of Multilingual Learners will launch a new advisory council to support the design of a long-term vision for immigrant students and their families, generate recommendations for improving educational opportunities and outcomes for multilingual learners, and build awareness of the programs and resources available to this population of students.

The Adams administration today also celebrated two years of core education accomplishments with key successes, including: 

• Implemented major literacy initiative through NYC Reads, which has adopted curriculum based in the science of reading to half of the city’s elementary schools and 90 percent of early childhood programs.
• Instituted nation-leading dyslexia support through mandating dyslexia screening for all students and opened first-ever public school dedicated to supporting students with dyslexia and other print-based learning disabilities. 
• Expanded accelerated learning opportunities for more students by adding 57 Gifted and Talented programs and increasing the number of students participating by 2,400 for a total of 16,500 students in Kindergarten through 5th  
• Announced the opening of nine new schools for the 2024-2025 school year alone , and added over 26,000 classroom seats through major construction and modernization projects — a record number.  
• Helped 8,662 students secure a total of 23,000 job placements, resulting in students earning a cumulative $8.2 million from paid work experiences at top companies through FutureReadyNYC .  
• Cemented new labor contracts that keep the city’s public schools competitive for talent nationwide, helping to increase the teacher retention rate to 95 percent. 
• Invested over $600 million in new funding to protect critical programs that were funded with temporary stimulus dollars.  
• Dramatically increased early childhood enrollment with over 114,000 children enrolled this year, stabilized the system by reducing the payment timeline to vendors from approximately 60 to 90 days to an average of 12 days, and strengthened quality with over 90 percent of programs and schools implementing a singular curriculum. 
• Won mayoral accountability of schools twice in three years and achieved an increase in enrollment for the first time in eight years, while investing $180 million to implement a comprehensive class size reduction plan . 

“Today’s initiative from New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City public schools Chancellor David C. Banks delivers on our promise to close the educational and learning gap and furthers our commitment to supporting all students along their academic journey,” said U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat . “The NYC Solves program will support students and their families while boosting math and reading, and helping propel them towards graduation and continued success.” 

"Our city's school leaders are dedicated to serving all students; that requires regularly assessing how we meet the unique needs of those with disabilities and multilingual learners,” said Henry Rubio, president, Council of School Supervisors and Administrators . “We applaud the mayor and chancellor for their continuing commitment to inclusivity and equity. We're hopeful that the new division will better support these vulnerable students. We commend the city for its further investment in research-based curricula accompanied by professional development, and we look forward to collaborating on its implementation."

“The appointment of Christina Foti as deputy chancellor of the DIAL is long overdue! Families with students with disabilities and multilingual learners rejoice in knowing under Deputy Chancellor Christina Foti's leadership, our children, teachers, and staff will have the support to create the inclusive learning environment all of our children deserve,” said Paullette Healy, special education policy consultant and community advocate . “Under Deputy Chancellor Christina Foti, we can rest assured that acceptance will be a practice we can uphold and not just a vocabulary word.” 

“Christina Foti is a strong proponent for students with disabilities and their families,” said Carolyn Castro, co-president, Citywide Council on Special Education . “She has both the long-term experience and keen understanding of the issues faced by our students that is needed to implement real change. We are optimistic that the creation of the division will lead to improved outcomes for all students with disabilities and multilingual learners.” 

“Inclusive and accessible learning requires thoughtful leadership, persistence, and expertise, which Deputy Chancellor Foti brings to this position,” said Kim Sweet, executive director, Advocates for Children of New York . “We look forward to working with her and the new division to ensure that students with disabilities and English language learners receive a high-quality education in New York City public schools.” 

“Deputy Chancellor Christina Foti has always been a champion for inclusion and access for all learners in the New York City public schools,” said Kristi Patten, counselor to the president, New York University . “The fact that she now is leading the DIAL is a testament to this commitment, and I am excited to see how she and her team continue and elevate the standard for inclusion and access in the nation's largest school district. Suzanne Sanchez, who will be under Deputy Chancellor Foti's leadership, as interim chief of special education, brings an innovative, inclusive mindset to all she does, and is a leader for advocating for inclusion, with individual students, classrooms, schools, and system-wide practices. The future of inclusion and access looks very bright for New York City public schools under Deputy Chancellor Foti and Interim Chief Sanchez. I look forward to our continued partnership.” 

"We are optimistic how this new division will elevate the needs for nearly a half million students in New York City whose education has not been prioritized for far too long,” said Cheryelle Cruickshank, executive director, INCLUDEnyc . “We congratulate Christina Foti in her well-deserved new role. We feel confident in Christina's leadership skills and longstanding commitment to our students with disabilities. The DIAL will benefit from our new deputy chancellor's expertise and dedication to advocating for quality, accountability, and equity for students with disabilities and English language learners to achieve success. We look forward to our continued partnership."

“This administration truly reflects a ‘by the community, for the community’ approach to growth and improvement,” said Lucina Clarke, co-founder & executive director, My Time, Inc . “This partnership is emblematic of taking the voices of those with lived experiences and uplifting them. When New York City public schools prioritize the needs of our immigrants, our multilingual learners, our students with individual education programs (IEP) - our students are prepared to contribute to a robust global society.  We are so happy for this new experience for Christina and the team seeing their vision unfolding. Our community has a champion for our students with IEPs.” 

“I am overjoyed with the announcement of Deputy Chancellor Christina Foti's promotion and the creation of the DIAL,” said Lupe Hernandez, D2 parent and member, Special Education Advisory Council . “Having a champion as empathetic to the struggles of neuro diverse children as Christina Foti leading this new division, I have no doubt the approach will be nuanced, innovative, and effective. And for children struggling to learn, this will be a huge shift in their outcomes.”  

“I am beyond excited about the announcement of Deputy Chancellor Christina Foti's promotion and the creation of the DIAL,” said Rima Izqueirdo, Bronx parent leader and member, Special Education Advisory Council . “Having a champion who is truly empathetic to the struggles of neurodiverse students as Christina Foti leading this new division, I have no doubt the approach will be thoughtful, innovative, and highly effective. For students struggling to learn, this will be the beginning of a much needed and long overdue shift in the trajectory of their academic careers, and ultimately their lives.” 

"Today’s announcement shows that Mayor Adams and Chancellor Banks have heard the voices of New York City educators and parents calling for rigorous, high-quality curriculum and significant support," said Marielys Divanne, executive director, Educators for Excellence-New York . "NYC Solves is another huge and much-needed step forward in helping our students achieve better outcomes in math. In addition, we're encouraged to see the city double down on its commitment to special education and multilingual language learners by elevating an experienced educational leader in Christina Foti to deputy chancellor. New York City is raising the bar for all students."

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Fresno Unified School District

2024/2025 teacher, secondary – science, math, social studies, english, music, art.

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2024/2025 (ELIGIBILITY POOL)

Teacher, Secondary – Science, Math, Social Science, English, Music, Art

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

California credential authorizing instruction at the secondary level. Must have English Learner Authorization.

KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES:

Knowledge of and ability to implement the subject matter, philosophical, social, and educational concepts relative to the duties and responsibilities listed on this job description

We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples. Today, Arizona is home to 22 federally recognized tribes, with Tucson being home to the O'odham and the Yaqui. Committed to diversity and inclusion, the University strives to build sustainable relationships with sovereign Native Nations and Indigenous communities through education offerings, partnerships, and community service.