An ethnographic research on a novice English teacher with a Ph.D. degree for the first years in a Korean EFL context: Bridging the gap between unrealistic expectations and reality

The purpose of this study is to understand how one novice Korean teacher of English with a Ph.D. degree faced challenges as a result of 'unrealistic expectations' during his first year of teaching in a Korean EFL school. The ethnographic approach was employed as a conceptual framework to "make sense" of this beginning teacher and deconstruct his "lived" stories. Multiple data sources (e.g., field notes, semi-structured interviews, a questionnaire, and group conversations) were employed to triangulate the data over the span of eleven months. The findings demonstrate that the beginning English teacher greatly struggled due to his unrealistic expectations in terms of a teaching environment, professional role, and school culture. Some practical suggestions for novice English teachers in an Asian EFL context are also discussed in this study. Copyright © 2016 Asian EFL Journal.