1 Introduction

The document from the Ministry of Education emphasizes the importance of reforming college English teaching, especially specialized English for specific purposes. Chinese university English teaching is transitioning towards specialized English, and teachers need to balance language and professional knowledge. The research focuses on the curriculum design and teacher dilemma of English for Specific Purposes, but lacks empirical research on teachers' professional identity. This study aims to explore the professional identity of college English teachers in the process of transformation from three dimensions: teacher knowledge, autonomy, and practice.

2 Literature Review

Explored the definition of teacher identity and its importance in teaching, emphasizing the impact of teacher professional identity on teaching decisions. The literature review section points out that empirical research topics on the professional identity of teachers in the field of English for Specific Purposes include the construction and development of English teacher identity in transition, teachers' understanding of English for Specific Purposes courses and roles, and the challenges faced by English for Specific Purposes teachers. Research suggests that existing studies often use Pennington's TESOL teacher identity model, but a more comprehensive new framework is needed to analyze the identity of English teachers in transition. In addition, the study also found that teachers in transition have differences in subject knowledge, driving force, or autonomy, but how these factors are specifically presented and mutually influenced still needs further exploration. This study adopts Vygotsky's sociocultural theory as the analytical framework to explore the professional identity of college English teachers during their transition from general English to specialized English from three major modules: teacher knowledge, teacher autonomy, and teacher practice. The knowledge, autonomy, and practice of teachers are interrelated and influence each other, jointly promoting the presentation of teachers' professional identity.

3 Research Methods

The qualitative case analysis method used in this study was introduced, and the data was collected from a specialized English project team at a university in southern China. Six teachers agreed to participate in the interview through the questionnaire distributed by the project leader. Researchers conducted a semi-structured interview with teachers using pseudonyms from March to September 2021, lasting 40 to 60 minutes and recorded the interview with audio. After the interview, the teacher provided segments of the course plan for analysis. The chapter also provides a background information table for the interviewed teachers and an interview question table.

4 Discoveries and Discussions

This chapter deeply analyzes the diversity, complexity, and interactivity of professional identity of Chinese university English teachers in the process of transitioning from general English to specialized English through content analysis and successive approximation method. Research has found that teachers' professional identity is influenced by internal factors such as educational background, work experience in enterprises, understanding of students, internal driving forces, personal personality, and preferences, as well as external factors such as policies, curriculum outlines, lesson allocation, school/college support, student level/learning motivation, and communication with colleagues/professional groups. Among the six teachers, T2 and T5 have dedicated teams for academic English, while T1, T3, T4, and T6 do not have specialized teams, resulting in a more distinct dynamic presentation of professional identity.

5 Conclusion

This chapter summarizes the research findings and emphasizes the importance of socio-cultural theory in analyzing the professional identity of Chinese university English teachers during their transition from general English to specialized English. A comprehensive analysis framework was proposed through semi-structured interviews and document analysis, providing empirical data and direction for management decision-making departments to develop teacher career development plans. At the same time, the study provides empirical reference for frontline teachers, helping them reflect on their curriculum roles and teaching from the perspectives of knowledge, autonomy, and practice, and promoting personal teaching and career development.