A ‘useful’ vocational education English language teacher by any other name. Short stories of teacher identity construction and reconstruction in vocational education in China

Internationally, vocational education occupies a paradoxical space. Seen as critical to powering a nation’s economic growth, it is often neglected and marginalised in favour of general academic education. Also paradoxically, the success of vocational education is thought to be underpinned by high quality teachers and teaching while the voices of these teachers remain largely absent from policy discussions and from the international literature. Therefore, this paper reports the results of a study that gives voice to a vocational education English language teacher in China. Using a narrative approach and grounded in a framework of teacher identity construction, the paper presents three short stories that describe how one of the participants in the study, Selina, confronted and contested the marginalised identities assigned to her as an English language teacher in a vocational education college in China. Results show that she exercised agency in ways that allowed her to position herself, and to be positioned by others, as a useful vocational education English language teacher. These results can help to raise awareness amongst stakeholders, including policy makers and leaders of vocational education institutions, about how they can support and sustain vocational education English language teachers as they construct their personal and professional identities in China and around the globe. Implications for teacher learning and suggestions for future research are considered. Copyright © 2023 The Vocational Aspect of Education Ltd.