In this study, we investigated how an English-as-medium-of-instruction mathematics teacher in China and an English teacher in Nepal fell into and out of love with the teaching profession. A theoretical framework of lo...In this study, we investigated how an English-as-medium-of-instruction mathematics teacher in China and an English teacher in Nepal fell into and out of love with the teaching profession. A theoretical framework of love, which drew from the theorization of love in Barcelos and Coelho(2016) and Lanas and Zembylas(2015), was adopted to provide guidance for our understanding of the construct and our interpretation of the data. In this framework, love is conceptualized as being communicated through teachers’ attending to individual students, and building a mutually supportive learning environment. In addition, love is also seen as socially and historically constructed. Our data include interviews, teaching materials, and other curricular artifacts. Our findings revealed that teachers’ love toward the profession sustains their investment in teaching, and their love of their students helps them accept the students on the latter’s own terms. In addition, a loving relationship between teachers and students was also instantiated in the mutual understanding and support between both parties during classroom interactions. Finally, we also demonstrate how our two focal teachers’ love of the profession was either enhanced or worn out due to work-related sociopolitical factors.展开更多
文摘In this study, we investigated how an English-as-medium-of-instruction mathematics teacher in China and an English teacher in Nepal fell into and out of love with the teaching profession. A theoretical framework of love, which drew from the theorization of love in Barcelos and Coelho(2016) and Lanas and Zembylas(2015), was adopted to provide guidance for our understanding of the construct and our interpretation of the data. In this framework, love is conceptualized as being communicated through teachers’ attending to individual students, and building a mutually supportive learning environment. In addition, love is also seen as socially and historically constructed. Our data include interviews, teaching materials, and other curricular artifacts. Our findings revealed that teachers’ love toward the profession sustains their investment in teaching, and their love of their students helps them accept the students on the latter’s own terms. In addition, a loving relationship between teachers and students was also instantiated in the mutual understanding and support between both parties during classroom interactions. Finally, we also demonstrate how our two focal teachers’ love of the profession was either enhanced or worn out due to work-related sociopolitical factors.
