tailieunhanh - My professional journey: An autobiographical narrative

This paper underscores the dynamic and complex dimensions of my being and becoming an applied linguist. It employs autobiography as an approach to my engagement in self-reflexivity on the professional re-construction of myself. | RESEARCH MY PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL NARRATIVE Le Van Canh* Faculty of English, VNU University of Languages and International Studies, Pham Van Dong, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam Received 27 July 2018 Revised 25 September 2018; Accepted 26 September 2018 Abstract: This paper underscores the dynamic and complex dimensions of my being and becoming an applied linguist. It employs autobiography as an approach to my engagement in self-reflexivity on the professional re-construction of myself. The purpose behind this self-reflective account is to encourage an access to localized ways of knowing, being, and becoming in the world. That access is much needed in language education research in the era in which epistemological understandings are in flux. The paper concludes by discussing how I re-construe my own professional experiences. Keywords: autobiographical narrative, professional journey, professional growth, learning English, teaching English, applied linguistics 1. Introduction 1 I am invited to write an article for the Special Issue of the VNU Journal of Foreign Studies run by the VNU University of Languages and International Studies (ULIS) to mark the 60th anniversary of the university’s English Department. I think it could be best to tell the story of my learning and professional trajectory, which is full of twists and turns, for the purpose of exploring, connecting, sharing and learning. As Barkhuizen, Benson, and Chik (2014, p. 37) have asserted, “Language learning histories (LLHs) are retrospective accounts of past learning. They are the written stories of language learning experiences.” * Tel: 84-913563126 Email: canhvanle@ / levancanhvnu@ 1 They can be as extensive as all the life span of a person’s learning experience or they can be limited to smaller units like school year, semester or classes. In this autobiographical narrative, my case is related to the former, ., my life-long learning experiences. As I have spent