Abstract
As an interdisciplinary major, Business English has a distinct difference from General English. Therefore, Business English teachers and General English teachers are also very different. However, nowadays, most Business English teachers in most colleges are with the educational background of English Language and Literature. They are facing serious problems of teacher identity construction. As Business English is generally considered to be a branch under English for Specific Purpose (ESP), there is a close connection between Business English and ESP. Therefore, ESP theory can provide a theoretical basis for the development of Business English program and can also provide some guidance for the identity construction of Business English teachers. Based on Needs Analysis and learning-centred approach of ESP theory, combining former researches of this field and observation findings of actual Business English classroom in a university, this article summarizes three identities that Business English teachers should construct: teaching practitioners and researchers, learners, and businesspeople. The study of teacher identity is of great significance to the successful construction of multidimensional teacher identities for Business English teachers and to the realization of their professional development.
Highlights
The first Business English undergraduate program established at universities has been officially approved by the Ministry of Education in 2007
By searching the keyword “teacher identity” in “China National Knowledge Infrastructure”, we found that China’s research on teacher identity has achieved certain achievements, it is mainly focused on the study of identity of General English teachers, among which there were only 9 articles on the study of teacher identity of English for Specific Purpose (ESP) teachers
In the face of the uniqueness of Business English, Business English teachers in China must pay attention to the uniqueness of their professional identity and actively construct multidimensional teacher identities to meet the requirements of new environment and to achieve self-professional development
Summary
The first Business English undergraduate program established at universities has been officially approved by the Ministry of Education in 2007. About 300 colleges and universities across the country have set up undergraduate programs of Business English, which has produced large numbers of talents for social and economic development. The construction of China’s Business English Program entered a development period of standardization, specialization, systematization, and theorization (Zhang, 2014). There are still many problems that need to be solved immediately in the construction and development of Business English in China. Due to the short development time of Business English in China, there is currently almost no institution that specializes in training Business English teachers, making the professionals very insufficient. Insufficient business knowledge and practical experience make these Business English teachers who have just transformed from ordinary English teachers face severe identity crisis and the challenge of identity reconstruction under the new teaching environment
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