Professional Agency of English Teachers at Chinese Local Undergraduate Universities: A Perspective of Activity Theory

Many Chinese local undergraduate universities are now being engaged in transition development. The aim of this study is to explore professional agency of English teachers at Chinese local undergraduate universities from the perspective of activity theory. In the view of activity theory the power to make choices and the power to take actions are the key properties of professional agency of English teachers at Chinese local undergraduate universities. In the present sociocultural environment English teachers at Chinese local undergraduate universities exercise their professional agency to take control the directions and routes of their professional development by involving in activities, adapting to the environment, striving for control and organizing goal engagement and goal disengagement. This study provides English teachers at Chinese local undergraduate universities with positive enlightenment and makes them realize the importance of taking control of personal professional trajectories in the environment of transition development of their universities.