Professional development is often regarded as one of the central missions of second language teacher education (SLTE), and it has also been argued that teacher professional development is critical for improving the quality of student learning (Guskey, Reference Guskey2002; Richards, Reference Richards2008). Therefore, having an understanding of the role of professional development practices and contextual factors in teacher learning is important. Toward this end, the editors of this volume present a series of empirical studies through the lens of sociocultural theory thus providing a “comprehensive examination of the quality and character of the mediational means designed to support teacher professional development and the subsequent tracing of that development” (p. xi).
In the opening chapter of the volume, Johnson and Golombek give an overview of the sociocultural theoretical framework by specifically addressing mediation, the zone of proximal development, and the use of activity theory as an analytical framework within the sociocultural model. This initial chapter not only provides the reader with the basic tenets of the theoretical framework applied in the empirical studies in the book but also makes an argument for why sociocultural theory is an appropriate framework for examining the professional development of teachers.
Following this introductory chapter, the volume contains a series of empirical studies organized into five different sections related to the main research areas that, according to the editors, reflect the “overall mission of SLTE programs” (p. 12). Studies in the first section of this collection investigate teacher learners’ development of teacher identity and of an understanding of the concept of culture. The authors of this section offer a series of studies that demonstrate not only the importance of context on teacher development but also how mediational tools (e.g., online discussion boards) can provide a valuable means for identity development and cultural understanding.
Section 2 contains several empirical studies that investigate the relationship of concept development—a major aspect of sociocultural theory—to teacher learning and that demonstrate the prominence of contextual factors (e.g., the consistency of concepts between disciplines) in developing concepts and the importance of relating concepts to the classroom environment. Sections 3 and 4 build on this section by including studies on strategic mediation, an essential means of internalizing concepts through interactions with expert teachers and colleagues. The strength of these sections is in their presentation of studies that support investigations presented in the earlier sections through further discussion of the usefulness of virtual and other mediational practices in the processes of reconceptualization and internalization in teacher development.
In the final section of this work, two studies focus on the macrostructures of teacher education and the effects they have on pre- and in-service teachers within the Korean context. The most noteworthy message from both of these studies is that previous experience and beliefs play a central role in how teachers in a reform context react to curricular changes. Both studies also afford an important look at the multitude of factors that influence teachers’ acceptance of these changes and the importance of reflective practices in professional development.
This volume, on the whole, offers a rather accessible account of the major research related to SLTE. The field is examined through studies conducted in an array of contexts, and, as a result, the reader gains a sense of the current research found in SLTE and an idea of where future research is headed. The main weakness of the collection of studies is in the final section, in which the discussion of curricular change is focused exclusively on the Korean context. This section could have been strengthened through the addition of studies in other contexts, as the extent to which a curriculum changes and the way teacher learners react to these changes is heavily reliant on the context in which it occurs. Nevertheless, this is an excellent collection of studies for teacher educators, teachers, and students alike. It provides clear and well-constructed studies that demonstrate the need for research in professional development practices as well as the place of sociocultural theory within the field of SLTE.
