IAN MOODIE (MOKPO NATIONAL UNIVERSITY)

ADAPTING SOCIAL COGNITIVE CAREER THEORY FOR UNDERSTANDING THE CAREER TRAJECTORIES AND DECISION-MAKING OF ELT PROFESSIONALS : TEACHER EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Although there are an estimated 12 million English language teachers worldwide, there is a surprising lack of theoretically-informed work addressing the career trajectories of ELT professionals. In response to this shortcoming in research, this presentation introduces and promotes social cognitive career theory (SCCT), a theory designed to understand how people develop interest in careers, commit to particular careers, and make decisions about their careers. As it does so, the presentation explains the career trajectory of a male, expat English teacher in Korea through the lens of SCCT. The study uses a deductive, qualitative procedure, explaining his career through SCCT constructs. Although he was initially reluctant to start teaching English, his interest grew from an initial induction to the field while he was an undergraduate student. Subsequently, he transferred to a university in Korea, eventually attaining a BA, MA, and PhD (ABD) in English. The study discusses how his predispositions, background affordances, learning experiences, and Korean-language proficiency presented new opportunities and career interests as his career progressed from being a co-teacher in public schools to becoming a teacher trainer, media personality, and associate professor at a local university. Through this single case study, the presentation will argue for the relevance of SCCT for understanding the career trajectories of English teachers at scale.

Ian Moodie is a Professor in the Department of English Education at Mokpo National University in South Korea. His recent projects involve adapting Organizational Psychology research in ELT with recent publications in Language Teaching, Language Teaching Research, The Modern Language Journal, TESOL Quarterly, and System, among others.