The role of institutional policy in English language teacher autonomy, agency, and identity: A poststructural perspective.
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| Title: | The role of institutional policy in English language teacher autonomy, agency, and identity: A poststructural perspective. |
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| Authors: | Nazari, Mostafa1 (AUTHOR), De Costa, Peter I.2 (AUTHOR), Karimpour, Sedigheh3 (AUTHOR) sedighehkarimpour1367@yahoo.com |
| Source: | Language Teaching Research. Feb2026, Vol. 30 Issue 2, p885-907. 23p. |
| Subject Terms: | *School autonomy, *Discourse analysis, *Teacher organizations, *Language teachers, *Teacher role, *Teacher effectiveness, Power (Social sciences), Institutional economics |
| Abstract: | Scholarship on language teacher autonomy and agency has demonstrated that both constructs are central components of teacher identity and, hence, teacher performance. However, few studies have examined the role of these constructs in language teacher identity, particularly how power mediates their co-constitutive implications for identity construction. Grounded in a poststructural standpoint, this study reports on how institutional power was a key factor in shaping Iranian English language teachers' autonomy, agency, and identity construction. Drawing on data from narrative frames and semi-structured interviews, we show how institutional power discursively shaped the teachers' professional performance in three major areas: (1) power as a normative impetus; (2) policies as hierarchical forces; and (3) power as weakening the nexus between autonomy and agency. Our findings reveal that in the space between power and practice, the teachers viewed institutional power as discursively constraining their own personalized understandings and performances. However, the teachers considered the overarching discourse that power bore as positive in helping establish systemic organization. The article closes with implications for teachers, teacher educators, and policymakers in establishing context-specific discourses that positively contribute to institutional and teacher growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Language Teaching Research is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 190991744 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: The role of institutional policy in English language teacher autonomy, agency, and identity: A poststructural perspective. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Nazari%2C+Mostafa%22">Nazari, Mostafa</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22De+Costa%2C+Peter+I%2E%22">De Costa, Peter I.</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Karimpour%2C+Sedigheh%22">Karimpour, Sedigheh</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> sedighehkarimpour1367@yahoo.com</i> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Language+Teaching+Research%22">Language Teaching Research</searchLink>. Feb2026, Vol. 30 Issue 2, p885-907. 23p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+autonomy%22">School autonomy</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Discourse+analysis%22">Discourse analysis</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+organizations%22">Teacher organizations</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+teachers%22">Language teachers</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+role%22">Teacher role</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+effectiveness%22">Teacher effectiveness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Power+%28Social+sciences%29%22">Power (Social sciences)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Institutional+economics%22">Institutional economics</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Scholarship on language teacher autonomy and agency has demonstrated that both constructs are central components of teacher identity and, hence, teacher performance. However, few studies have examined the role of these constructs in language teacher identity, particularly how power mediates their co-constitutive implications for identity construction. Grounded in a poststructural standpoint, this study reports on how institutional power was a key factor in shaping Iranian English language teachers' autonomy, agency, and identity construction. Drawing on data from narrative frames and semi-structured interviews, we show how institutional power discursively shaped the teachers' professional performance in three major areas: (1) power as a normative impetus; (2) policies as hierarchical forces; and (3) power as weakening the nexus between autonomy and agency. Our findings reveal that in the space between power and practice, the teachers viewed institutional power as discursively constraining their own personalized understandings and performances. However, the teachers considered the overarching discourse that power bore as positive in helping establish systemic organization. The article closes with implications for teachers, teacher educators, and policymakers in establishing context-specific discourses that positively contribute to institutional and teacher growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Language Teaching Research is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1177/13621688221143476 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 23 StartPage: 885 Subjects: – SubjectFull: School autonomy Type: general – SubjectFull: Discourse analysis Type: general – SubjectFull: Teacher organizations Type: general – SubjectFull: Language teachers Type: general – SubjectFull: Teacher role Type: general – SubjectFull: Teacher effectiveness Type: general – SubjectFull: Power (Social sciences) Type: general – SubjectFull: Institutional economics Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: The role of institutional policy in English language teacher autonomy, agency, and identity: A poststructural perspective. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Nazari, Mostafa – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: De Costa, Peter I. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Karimpour, Sedigheh IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 02 Text: Feb2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 13621688 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 30 – Type: issue Value: 2 Titles: – TitleFull: Language Teaching Research Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
