Language teacher investment as resistance : why do teachers engage in practitioner research in an uneven world

Abstract

This study explores the investments of two language teacher candidates from Türkiye who engaged in exploratory practice (EP) during an English language course they organized and taught. We drew on the constructs of ideology, capital, and identity, as proposed by Darvin and Norton's (2015) Model of Investment to critically examine the teachers' motivations to engage in practitioner research. Reflexive thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data collected through teacher journals, mentoring sessions, and semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal that the teachers' motivations transcended self-deterministic desires and included service-oriented goals aimed at disrupting asymmetrical power relations. The EP project allowed the teachers to negotiate their language ideologies, enhance their symbolic capital, and engage in identity work. This study underscores the need for a multilayered approach to understanding language teacher investment, one that is responsive to the sociopolitical and moral complexities of the teaching profession in an uneven world. The implications suggest that policy makers and teacher educators should consider these complexities and support teachers in engaging in critically oriented practices that foster their professional investments.