Foregrounding language teacher agency and positioning of EFL teachers in the research-practice nexus

This qualitative study explores the interconnections among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' experiences, agency, positions, and future-oriented thinking within the research-practice nexus. The authors utilized a positioning theory framework along with Biesta et al.’s (2015) agency model, focusing on narrative interviews conducted with EFL teachers at a research-oriented university in China. This study explored how EFL teachers positioned themselves in their narrated research and teaching experiences. Furthermore, it investigated what factors influenced EFL teachers to exercise agency, or lack thereof, in the dynamic research–practice interaction process while they were in such positions. The findings revealed 1) EFL teachers' agentic teacher positions with positive attributes and 2) current positioning of passive teachers toward future positioning as agents of change in research engagement. Our findings indicated that factors such as EFL teachers' previous research-related experiences, research-informed teaching beliefs, school structures, and available resources influenced the achievement or limitation of teacher agency in relation to enhancing or decreasing teaching quality and research engagement. The exploration of the participants' positions as agentic teachers holds implications for enhancing a sustainable relationship between research and practice for language teacher education, curriculum design, and research development.