Chapter 1 Introduction　　1
1.1 Personal motivation　　1
1.2 Statement of the problem　　3
1.3 Aims of the study　　5
1.4 Research design　　6
1.5 Significance of the study　　8
1.6 Organization of the study　　9
Chapter 2 Research Background　　11
2.1 A brief history of English language teaching and learning in China　　11
2.2 The urban-rural gap in basic education　　13
2.3 Sociocultural context in multiethnic regions　　15
2.4 Rural teachers’ professional development and the NTTP　　16
2.5 Summary　　18
Chapter 3 Literature Review　　19
3.1 Identity　　19
3.2 Teachers’ identity　　22
3.2.1 Defining teachers’ identity　　22
3.2.2 Major issues in teachers’ identity research　　25
3.2.3 Teachers’ identity and teachers’ knowledge　　28
3.2.4 Teachers’ identity and teachers’ beliefs　　29
3.2.5 Teachers’ identity and teachers’ agency　　31
3.3 Language teachers’ identity　　33
3.3.1 Definitions of LTI　　33
3.3.2 Components of LTI　　35
3.3.3 Previous studies on LTI　　38
3.3.4 Themes in LTI research　　44
3.4 Critiques of previous studies　　49
3.5 An integrated theoretical framework in understanding LTI　　51
3.5.1 Wenger’s Identity Formation Theory　　51
3.5.2 The Theory of History-in-Person　　52
3.5.3 Identity-in-Discourse and Identity-in-Practice　　53
3.6 Conceptual framework for the study　　54
3.7 Summary　　56
Chapter 4 Research Design　　57
4.1 The research sites　　57
4.1.1 Yunnan province　　57
4.1.2 Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture　　58
4.1.3 Jinghong city　　59
4.2 Methodology　　60
4.2.1 Qualitative research paradigm　　61
4.2.2 Case study approach　　62
4.2.3 Data collection　　65
4.2.4 Data analysis　　71
4.3 Validity, reliability and ethical considerations　　74
4.4 Summary　　76
Chapter 5 The Case of Jenifer　　77
5.1 Jenifer’s biography　　77
5.2 The teaching context　　80
5.2.1 The school　　80
5.2.2 The students　　81
5.2.3 The school-based professional development　　82
5.3 Jenifer’s classroom practices before attending the NTTP　　84
5.3.1 The lesson plan　　85
5.3.2 The classroom activities　　88
5.3.3 The teacher’s and students’ roles　　93
5.4 Jenifer’s experiences in attending the NTTP　　96
5.4.1 The Trainer-Training Module　　97
5.4.2 The Demonstration Module　　99
5.4.3 The Distance Education Module　　100
5.5 Jenifer’s classroom teaching in the post-NTTP period　　102
5.5.1 The lesson plan　　103
5.5.2 The classroom activities　　108
5.5.3 The teacher’s and students’ roles　　114
5.6 Jenifer’s reflections on doing teacher research　　116
5.6.1 The motivations for doing action research　　117
5.6.2 The personal and contextual constraints　　118
5.6.3 Classroom-level curriculum development　　119
5.7 Discussion and summary　　123
Chapter 6 The Case of Amy　　127
6.1 Amy’s biography　　127
6.2 The teaching context　　131
6.2.1 The school　　131
6.2.2 The students　　132
6.2.3 The school-based professional development　　134
6.3 Amy’s classroom practices before attending the NTTP　　136
6.3.1 The lesson plan　　136
6.3.2 The classroom activities　　141
6.3.3 The teacher’s and students’ roles　　145
6.4　“The training does benefit my teaching” —Amy’s experiences in attending the NTTP　　147
6.4.1 The Trainer-Training Module　　148
6.4.2 The Demonstration Module　　149
6.4.3 The Distance Education Module　　151
6.5 Amy’s classroom practices in the post-NTTP period　　154
6.5.1 The lesson plan　　154
6.5.2 The classroom activities　　158
6.5.3 The teacher’s and students’ roles　　161
6.6 Amy’ s reflection on doing classroom-based research　　163
6.6.1 Amy’s motivations for doing research　　163
6.6.2 Doing the classroom-based research　　164
6.6.3 Personal and contextual constraints　　165
6.7 Discussion and summary　　166
Chapter 7 The Case of Kelvin　　169
7.1 Kelvin’s biography　　169
7.2 Kelvin’s teaching context　　172
7.2.1 The school　　172
7.2.2 The students　　174
7.2.3 The school-based professional development　　175
7.3 Kelvin’s classroom practices before attending the NTTP　　177
7.3.1 The lesson plan　　177
7.3.2 The classroom activities　　179
7.3.3 The teacher’s and students’ roles　　181
7.4 Kelvin’s learning experiences in the NTTP　　184
7.4.1 The Trainer-Training Module　　184
7.4.2 The Demonstration Module　　186
7.4.3 The Distance Education Module　　186
7.5 Kelvin’ s classroom practice in the post-NTTP period　　188
7.5.1 The lesson plan　　189
7.5.2 Classroom activities　　192
7.5.3 The teacher’s and students’ roles　　195
7.6 Kelvin’s attempts in doing the classroom-based research　　196
7.7 Discussion and summary　　198
Chapter 8 Discussion　　201
8.1 Summary of findings　　201
8.2 Commonalities and discrepancies in building LTI　　202
8.2.1 Creating LTI in personal biographies　　202
8.2.2 Developing LTI in professional experiences before the NTTP　　206
8.2.3 The NTTP—powerful constituent in shaping LTI　　209
8.2.4 LTI negotiated in practicing competing pedagogies　　212
8.2.5 LTI enhanced by the classroom-based research　　216
8.3 Influencing factors on LTI construction　　218
8.3.1 The micro-level influencing factors　　219
8.3.2 The meso-level influencing factors　　223
8.3.3 The macro-level influencing factors　　226
8.4　A tentative model of secondary school language teachers’ identity
8.5 Summary　　229
Chapter 9 Conclusion　　231
9.1 The major findings of the study　　231
9.2 The major contributions of the study　　232
9.3 The significance and implications for practices　　236
9.4 Limitations and recommendations for further research　　237
Appendix 1 Interview Questions　　239
Appendix 2 Sample of Transcription of Interview　　241
References　　243