1 Introduction

In recent years, country and regional studies have become a new direction for the transformation of foreign language disciplines, posing new requirements for the academic and professional development of foreign language teachers. The research mainly focuses on the construction of disciplinary systems, planning of teaching systems, and professional development and teaching reform. However, existing research has not yet explored the problems faced by French teachers in the transition of this subject. The professional development and academic transformation of foreign language teachers in universities have become a microcosm of the transformation of foreign language disciplines under the new situation, and the initiative of foreign language teachers is particularly noteworthy. In recent years, many French teachers have gradually shifted their focus to French speaking countries and regions while focusing on French literature and linguistics research. This article is based on the ecological perspective of teacher agency theory, aiming to reveal the development process of French teachers in universities transitioning to national and regional studies, and analyze the factors that affect teacher agency.

Ecological perspective of teacher agency theory

Explored the concept of teacher agency and pointed out the different understandings between traditional views and ecological researchers. The traditional view regards teacher agency as the ability of teachers to make choices and drive change, while ecological researchers believe that it is a phenomenon that interacts with the social environment and requires individual efforts to achieve. The perspective of life course emphasizes the importance of individual development process. The research focuses on how French teachers in universities can use their initiative to make academic development decisions and make self adjustments under policy guidance. The theory of teacher agency from an ecological perspective involves three dimensions: experience, practical evaluation, and goal projection. These dimensions interact with agency and influence action in different structural contexts. Priestley et al. and Biesta et al. improved the ecological model through the teacher career development axis, combining professional goals with life goals, emphasizing the development process of teacher agency and the interactive relationship between "choice" and "behavior".

3 Research Design

Introduced a study on the agency of French teachers in the transformation of national and regional research. The study selected 10 French teachers with different backgrounds for semi-structured interviews, using a combination of text analysis and qualitative research methods. Researchers conducted text analysis on relevant policy documents of the Ministry of Education, and designed interview outlines based on an ecological perspective of teacher agency analysis framework to obtain respondents' work and study experiences, action strategies, and future plans. Interview data is subjected to thematic analysis through steps such as recording and transcription, organizing and compiling, coding and categorizing, and extracting themes. Researchers encode interview data into three dimensions: experience, practical evaluation, and goal projection. They then extract themes and conduct horizontal comparisons. Finally, they combine theoretical dimensions and textual analysis data to generate themes and analyze factors that affect teacher motivation.

4 research findings

Through semi-structured interviews with 10 French teachers in universities, the proactive performance of teachers in the process of national and regional research transformation was revealed. Teacher initiative can be divided into three types: positive transformation, middle observation, and negative response. Positive transformation oriented teachers have strong confidence in transformation, some of whom have overseas study or interdisciplinary backgrounds, and have research motivation for national and regional studies. Although the middle wait-and-see teachers have overseas experience, they lack knowledge of national and regional studies and are in a hesitant state. Negative coping teachers feel confused and fearful of transformation, and lack professional academic training.

5 Discussions

This chapter explores the proactive development of French teachers in academic transformation, revealing their types and trends. The initiative of teachers, from individual experience to practical evaluation, and then to the construction of academic networks and professional learning communities, demonstrates their tension and resilience in the process of transformation. The influencing factors include the academic background, overseas experience, and professional ability of teachers, as well as the interaction of cultural, structural, and material factors. National policies, school evaluation systems, and college material environment support are crucial for the development of teachers' initiative. A scientifically reasonable evaluation mechanism and future policy orientation are the guarantees for stimulating teachers' initiative and continuous optimization.

6 Conclusion

The importance of teacher initiative in the construction of national and regional research in foreign language subjects was emphasized, and the issue of French teacher initiative was explored from an ecological perspective. With the advancement of national and regional research, how to guide foreign language teachers to exert their initiative, combine teaching with research, and actively participate in subject transformation has become an important topic in foreign language education planning. This provides new development areas and directions for foreign language teachers, and also puts forward higher professional development requirements. As executors and promoters of subject transformation, French teachers need more support and care. Policy makers should consider the initiative of teachers and adopt a combination of "push" and "pull" mechanisms to promote teacher transformation and career development. This study used random sampling interviews, which may have bias in the sample, but clearly revealed the common problems faced by French teachers in their transition. The author will expand the sample size in subsequent research to provide reference for promoting effective agency among foreign language teachers.