Professional identity and the 'third space'
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In his book Hadley notes that English for Academic Purposes (EAP) is experiencing a time of painful professional transition, with conflict a common feature as EAP teachers struggle to maintain our professional lives while working within new managerial systems that espouse very different views about the nature and purpose of Second Language Education. The theory presented here critically highlights the processes and strategies we use to survive the perilous organizational ‘Third Spaces’.
Bruce & Ding contextualise the field of English for Academic Purposes (EAP), with a particular focus on the professional and academic identity and role of the EAP practitioner. The authors examine previously neglected areas such as the socio-economic, academic and employment contexts within which EAP practitioners function. In doing so, they develop a better understanding of the roles, expectations and constraints that arise from these contexts, which in turn shape professional practice and the identity of the practitioner. As EAP is emerging as an academic discipline with a growing body of published research, this book will appeal to trainee and established practitioners, along with researchers and students of linguistics and education.
Bibliography:
Alexander, O. (2010) 'The Leap into TEAP: the role of the BALEAP competency framework in the professional development of new EAP teachers'. Paper presented at Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey 18th – 19th June, 2010.
Alexander, O. (2012) 'Exploring teacher beliefs in teaching EAP at low proficiency levels'. Journal of English for Academic Purposes Volume 11, Issue 2, Pages 99-111
Campion, G. (2016) ‘The learning never ends’: Exploring teachers’ views on the transition from General English to EAP'. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, Vol 23, pp 59-70.
Cranton, P. & Carusetta, E. (2002) 'Reflecting on teaching: The influence of context'. International Journal for Academic Development, 7:2, 167-176, DOI: 10.1080/1360144032000071288
Ding, A. and Bruce, I. (2017) The English for Academic Purposes Practitioner: Operating on the edge of academia. Palgrave Macmillan. (details here)
Hamp-Lyons, L. (2015) 'The future of JEAP and EAP'. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, Vol. 20, pp A1-A4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2015.10.004
Macdonald, J. (2017) 'The Margins as Third Space: EAP Teacher Professionalism in Canadian Universities'. Semantic Scholar. DOI:10.18806/tesl.v34i1.1258
McIntosh, E., and Nutt, D. (2022) The Impact of the Integrated Practitioner in Higher Education. Routledge.
Murray, D. April 22, Teledvisor, CONNECTING AND BRIDGING – THE THIRD SPACE PRIVILEGE. Available at: https://teledvisors.net/blog/2022/04/07/acting-as-bridges/ (Accessed 7.4.22)