ABSTRACT Globally teachers are experiencing reductions to their autonomy and constraints on their professional practice through legislative impositions of limiting standards, external testing and narrowing curricula. This study explores the ways English educators find a balance between these external expectations, contemporary pressures, professional aspirations, and personal values. It was a qualitative investigation into the perceptions shared by thirty-three English teachers from New South Wales, Australia and across England. A significant gap now exists between the ways English teachers conceive their subject, their purposes and the nature of their work, and that determined by regulation, formalised curriculum and accreditation requirements. The enduring resilience of these teachers is revealed but also the corrosive structural effects produced by narrowly focused, neoliberal policies especially in relation to high stakes testing. However, the research demonstrates how certain English teachers remain remarkably resilient – retaining autonomy where they can – and we define this attribute as ‘adaptive agency’.

中文翻译：

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有争议的地区：澳大利亚和英国的英语教师在受限时期保持弹性和创造力

摘要 在全球范围内，通过立法强加限制标准、外部测试和缩小课程范围，教师的自主权和专业实践受到限制。本研究探讨了英语教育工作者如何在这些外部期望、当代压力、职业抱负和个人价值观之间找到平衡。这是对来自新南威尔士州、澳大利亚和英格兰各地的 33 位英语教师的共同看法进行的定性调查。现在，英语教师构思学科、目的和工作性质的方式与由法规、正式课程和认证要求决定的方式之间存在重大差距。这些教师具有持久的韧性，但也揭示了狭隘的新自由主义政策所产生的腐蚀性结构影响，尤其是与高风险测试相关的政策。然而，该研究表明某些英语教师如何保持显着的弹性——在他们可以的地方保留自主权——我们将这种属性定义为“适应性代理”。