This poster is based on a research that looked at the learning experiences of teachers during their journey through a full-time Master of Education programme for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MEd TESOL), in a university in the UK. The aim was to explore the cognition development of four international Asian students: two novice and two in-service teachers enrolled on the programme. This was achieved by exploring their cognitive processes (Badger, 2018) through focus on knowledge, beliefs, and identity which together form the model of cognition used in the current study, as set out by Borg (2003, 2009, 2015). This model is situated within the framework of Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory (SCT) that is widely used in this type of context.

The following research questions were addressed in the study: 1) what is the impact of the MEd TESOL programme on the teachers’ cognition? And 2) what is the influence of the MEd TESOL programme on the teachers’ future professional teaching identities? These were answered by examining the experiences of the four participants. Although each participant lived a unique experience, they all showed some indicators of changes in knowledge, beliefs, and identities. Also, their experiences on the MEd TESOL programme have clearly influenced their professional identities. The findings revealed unexpected aspects of the participants’ well-being, as well as the impact of Covid-19 on the students’ lives.

This longitudinal case study was conducted over the period of 13 months, using in-depth semi-structured interviews; reflective diaries; classroom observation; and post-recall interview. The exploration was conducted while the students were enrolled in the programme, but also followed one of them (Marine, who volunteered) after she had finished the programme, to note its impact on her cognition when she was engaged in TESOL teaching in her home countries. It is worth noting that this participant was the only one to complete the full cycle of data collection. The study was underpinned by the interpretivist paradigm and took an ethnographic stance in collecting and analysing the data, which were analysed thematically following Braun and Clarke (2006), Bazeley (2020), and Saldaña’s (2013) guidelines. The ethnographic perspective adopted helped me as the researcher to explore the participants’ cognitive state, providing a wider perspective on their experiences, and the power and capacity of their learning.

The poster will focus on the reflective and reflexive practice implemented throughout the research study; discuss the participant's reflective pattern and its relation the cognitive changes discussed above; and the researcher's reflexive practice as well as facing ethical dilemmas through reflexivity. In particular, drawing on some of the key threads that run through the findings, e.g. finding burnout and depression signs when analysing one of the participant’s data. This is where reflexivity played an important role in making me realise the necessity to develop my thinking about my responsibilities to the participants and their well-being as well as to myself. The Covid-19 outbreak has brought uncertainty, upsetting news, and moving emotions for both the researcher and the participants. My emotions and well-being were adversely affected because I tried to ignore these wearying feelings in order to carry on the study and submit my thesis within the submission timeframe. Also, I did not want to show my feelings to the participants, which may cause stress or other harmful feelings. As I encouraged the participants to note their reflective thoughts, writing my own reflective and reflexive thoughts have become significantly important to dive deeply into my responsibilities to my own well-being along with acknowledging my research ethical principles. Where I was analysing the ethical dilemmas raised. In particular, the pivotal questions raised about communicating with and writing about the participants.

Badger, R. (2018). From input to intake: researching learner cognition. TESOL Quarterly, 52(4), 1073-1084. Bazeley, P. (2020). Qualitative data analysis: practical strategies (2nd ed.). Sage. Borg, S. (2003). Teacher cognition in language teaching: a review of research on what language teachers think, know, believe, and do. Language Teaching, 36(2), 81-109 Borg, S. (2009). Language teacher cognition. In A. Burns, & J. C. Richards (Eds.), The Cambridge guide to second language teacher education. Cambridge University Press. Borg, S. (2015). Teacher cognition and language education: research and practice. Bloomsbury Academic. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101