1 Introduction

Academic English courses have undergone significant changes in the past decade, becoming a core component of university English education. This change presents new challenges for teachers and requires research on how they can adapt to these changes. Teacher cognition, including knowledge, beliefs, and ideas, has a significant impact on teaching behavior and classroom effectiveness. The complexity and variability of teacher beliefs require a deep understanding of their role in teaching practice. Teachers' cognition may be influenced by personal learning experiences and school culture, and there may be conflicts. This study is based on activity theory and explores the academic English teaching activity system. It proposes an empirical study on how to apply this system to teacher cognition, in order to achieve the integration of cognition and teaching context.

A Review of Cognitive Research on Academic English Teachers

It is pointed out that although academic English teaching research is relatively mature abroad, research on the cognition of academic English teachers is still in its infancy both domestically and internationally. In foreign research, there is insufficient attention paid to academic English teachers, and empirical research is scarce. Research on academic English teachers in the context of the UK is relatively concentrated, but Chinese academic English teachers face different challenges, such as curriculum transformation, large student numbers, and insufficient teacher training. The professional crisis and transformation reform of academic English teachers in China provide opportunities for teachers, such as promoting scientific research and professional title promotion. Research should consider the complexity of context, delve into the relationship between teachers' cognition and practice, and view teachers as individuals with initiative and proactivity. Activity theory provides a research paradigm that emphasizes that teacher cognition is an organic, complex, dynamic, and open system closely related to knowledge, ideas, belief networks, and socio-cultural backgrounds. Through activity theory, we can comprehensively understand the changes and development of teachers' cognition in real-life contexts.

A Cognitive Study of Academic English Teachers Guided by Activity Theory

Explored in depth the application of activity theory in cognitive research of academic English teachers. Engestr ö m's activity system model is used to analyze teacher cognition, viewing teachers as subjects in the activity system whose cognition serves as an intermediary tool for regulating practical activities. The complexity of teacher cognition is reflected in its stability and dynamism, as well as the unity of social and personal significance. An empirical study was conducted on the academic English curriculum cognition of five teachers through interviews, interpretation of teaching materials, and classroom observations. There are differences in teachers' understanding of academic English courses, with some believing that they are not significantly different from university English courses, while others believe that they need to be integrated with professional content. The understanding of course objectives varies, with some emphasizing language skills, some focusing on professional content, and some emphasizing academic rigor. Teachers have varying levels of self-awareness, some are satisfied with their teaching while others feel inadequate in their professional knowledge. The factors that affect teacher cognition include the power roles and rules within the community, as well as the teacher's educational background and experience. Research suggests that in order to gain a deeper understanding of teacher cognition, more in-depth field investigations and horizontal comparisons are needed.

4 Conclusion

There is a lack of empirical data and theoretical paradigms in the field of cognitive research on academic English teachers, and teachers' cognitive understanding needs to be combined with context. Activity theory provides a research paradigm that emphasizes the dialectical relationship between social and cultural construction and thought and behavior in academic English teaching activities. The research gap is both a challenge and an opportunity, which helps to deepen the understanding of the epistemological stance of cognitive research, enrich the understanding of academic English teachers and teaching in the Chinese context, promote the establishment of research paradigms that are integrated with national conditions, and facilitate international disciplinary dialogue.