Systematic Literature Review on the Heritage Language Teachers Agency from Micro Perspective
Keywords:
Heritage language teacher, Teacher agency, Micro perspective, Systematic literature reviewAbstract
Teacher agency plays a pivotal role in shaping language teaching practices, influencing learners' language acquisition, implementing language policies, and facilitating or hindering the transmission of heritage languages. Despite its critical importance, systematic research on teacher agency in heritage language education remains limited. To address this gap, this study systematically reviewed seven empirical studies selected from two major databases, Scopus and Web of Science. The findings reveal that teacher agency operates at both behavioral and cognitive levels, encompassing actions and attitudinal shifts. The contexts in which agency is exercised include new teaching environments, teacher training, emotional labor, language education, and the implementation of language policies. Importantly, five micro-level factors—knowledge, emotions, identities, beliefs, and orientations—emerged as key influences that either facilitate or constrain the exercise of agency. These factors interact dynamically with external conditions, highlighting the complex interplay of personal and contextual elements in shaping teacher agency. This review contributes to the understanding of heritage language teacher agency by expanding its conceptualization to include attitudinal transformations and emotional labor, dimensions often overlooked in existing research. The findings underscore the need for targeted support, including professional development initiatives, emotional support mechanisms, and flexible policies, to empower heritage language teachers. Finally, this study identifies limitations in the current literature and proposes future research directions to further explore the dynamic and multifaceted nature of teacher agency in heritage language education.
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