Interrelationship of (Teacher) Autonomy, (Teacher) Agency, and (Teacher) Identity in Foreign Language Education

In research on foreign language education, limited attention has been paid to the interrelation between autonomy, agency, and identity. This chapter was to discuss the possible relationship between autonomy, agency, and identity, as well as between teacher autonomy, teacher agency, and teacher identity. First, there is an interconnection between autonomy, agency, and identity. Second, teachers may encounter constraints inherent in the system-wide ‘Schemes of Work’ and school-based evaluation mechanism. This affects their capacity to cope with diverse challenges emerging while constructing their professional identities. This also restricts their agentic behaviors in creating their own space for autonomy. However, a robust professional identity developed through previous teaching experience and teacher training may partly help teachers to take advantage of the affordances in the working conditions and create conditions for autonomy in teaching. This chapter argues for the importance of considering the three interrelated factors as an indispensable part of teacher education.