Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate teachers’ self-construction and transformation in their career from different perspective in term of positive psychology, transformative learning theory and ren (forbearance) and self-transformation. Two research questions were addressed. First, teachers’ self-construction in their pre-professional years would be explored. Second, teachers’ self-construction and transformation in their teaching career would be examined. Qualitative in-depth interviews were adopted. Narrative data from 10 teachers, 3 males and 7 females, aged from 25 to 55, were collected. Their teaching seniority ranged from 2 to 30 years.The results indicated that teachers’ pre-professional years could be divided into four self-constructive phases: teachers’ self-initiation, teachers’ self-forming, teachers’ self-orientation, and teachers’ self-adjustment. In the phase of teachers’ self-initiation, these pre-teachers started to create their own self-image. In the phase of teachers’ self-forming, they developed teachers’ responsibility, value, and creteria. In the phase of teachers’ self-orientation, they realized themselves and built up their self-image as a teacher. In the phase of teachers’ self- adjustment, they underwent tremendous reality shock, leading to their learning of some unwritten rules. Moreover, it was found that teachers’ career life could be divided into three transformative phases: self-controlled, self-construction and reconstruction, and the authentic teacher’s self. From self-controlled to self-construction and reconstruction, these experienced teachers might transform by self-reflection, self-consciousness and self-practice; while from self-construction and self-reconstruction to the authentic teacher’s self, they might transform by self-empowerment and self-regulation. Those who failed to self-empower and self-regulate would either create a facade of conformity or move back to the phase of self-controlled. Individual role and obligation, organizational culture, and social contexts were particularly vital to teachers’ self-transformation. These findings would greatly contribute to the understanding of teachers’ self-development.