The Dual-Challenge of Teaching Online in a Foreign Land: Understanding Western Foreign Teachers’ Professional Identity and Confidence Development via a Transformative Learning Lens

Abstract

This study takes a transformative learning lens to gain insights into Western foreign teachers’ identity as educators and professional confidence in online teaching at a Sino-British university. The biographical narrative interpretive method was used for data collection and analysis. The researcher gathered critical incidents during the pandemic through in-depth interviews with six Western foreign teachers. Western foreign teachers encountered dual-dimensional challenges: one related to cultural differences in teaching and the other caused by a shift to online teaching. Western foreign teachers’ belief in their professional identity as educators anchored by their pedagogical and curricular rationales helped them overcome workplace challenges. Through action-taking and critically reflecting on their experiences, Western foreign teachers gained skills and competencies that promoted their confidence in transnational education. This study developed a framework to explain teacher identity as educators and professional confidence development in teaching as an iterative process led by transformative learning. The reflective practice serves as a medium to help Western foreign teachers construct experiences in unfamiliar situations. The study makes a practical contribution to understanding Western foreign teachers’ professional development, which can be used for recruitment and retention.