Also available in French, as Le statut des enseignants en langues vivantes (ISBN: 9789287152268)

Includes bibliographical references.

Introduction -- Project mission -- Project aims and objectives -- The project cycle -- Main activities -- The structure of the publication -- The style of the publication

Chapter 1 : The 'Status Quo' Visibility — Interaction — Informal descriptions of perceived status — 'Status quo' — Increasing visibility: the 'Teacher of the Week' sub-project — Introduction — The data gathered from the TOW — What keeps me in the language teaching profession? — Reasons related to the interaction with learners — Reasons related to the importance of language learning — Reasons related to didactic innovations — What I am not happy about the language teaching profession — Working conditions — External perception — Authorities' attitude — Students' motivation — My most burning question to my fellow language teachers — Language teachers' status — Language teachers' attitudes — Human values — In-service and pre-service teacher training — Students' motivation — Didactics and methodology — The use of new technologies — Overall conclusions

Exploring constituents of status: moderated Internet discussion forum Forum 2: Employment conditions and practices — Introduction — Main conclusion — The most popular thread: the crucial role of language learning — Language education v. other subjects — Languages in support of intercultural learning — Overlaps
Forum 3: Language educators’ values and beliefs — A theoretical framework of values and beliefs — Language educators’ views on values and beliefs — Forum threads — Thread 1: What makes teachers change their beliefs? — Thread 2: Teachers follow their own beliefs about language teaching/learning, in spite of the official curriculum or the textbooks they are using — Thread 3: Teachers' behaviour in the classroom reflects their own human values — Thread 4: Cultural values are not worth teaching — Conclusions Forum 4: Professional expertise and development — Rationale — The threads — The discussion -- Threads 1 and 2: The value of professional development — Thread 3: The controversial ‘creative innovator’ image — Conclusion — True commitment — Glimpses of the status of language educators in Europe: opinions of workshop participants — Introduction — Description of status in member states — Conclusions

Forum 1: Internal and external perceptions of the status of language educators — Forum threads — The low social status of language educators: concepts and perspectives — Status definition — Perception of status — Status discrepancy — Different subjects: different status? — Languages – a waste of time? — “People pity language teachers” — Factors or causes determining the low status of language educators — Economic and financial factors — Working conditions — Social factors — Historical/political factors — Consequences of language educators’ low status

Chapter 2: ‘In medias res’ Teaching English is a political act: A non-p.c. dialogue — Introduction — Teacher power — Reactions to the term “teacher power” — Teacher power: real or imaginary? — Definitions and taxonomies of teacher power — Degrees of teacher power — Final thoughts on teacher power — The status of English teachers — Compared to other teachers — “Pay us enough to buy a good car!” — Conclusion — Beliefs of workshop participants about their career values and job rewards — Objectives — Method — Measures — Results and discussion — Mean scores on values and rewards — Factor analysis 1: Teachers’ career values and job rewards — Factor analysis 2: Job rewards

Chapter 3: Quo vadis? Introduction — The destination — The first steps — Vision 1: Language teachers’ Wonderland — The Wonderland story: Part 1 — Professional rationale — Setting the task — The Wonderland story: Part 2 — Language teachers’ Wonderland — The relevance of Wonderland — The future of Wonderland — Vision 2: Participant voices — Status-raising effects of ECML activities — Rationale — Content — Procedures — Impact of involvement in Status Project activities

Chapter 4: Planning action for status improvement The original plan — Wonderland: a means to an end — The theme: Peer-observation as part of our workload — Guiding principles — The outcome — Recommended actions to raise the educational and social status of language educators — Introduction — Actions and justifications -- Action 1 — Justification for Action 1 — Effects of Action 1 on teacher status — Action 2 — Justification for Action 2 — Effect of Action 2 on teacher status — Action 3 — Justification for Action 3 — Effect of Action 3 on teacher status — Action 4 — Justification for Action 4 — Effect of Action 4 on teacher status — Where do we go from here?

Appendix 1: Barbara Dieu’s TOW page

Appendix 2: Questionnaire: ‘Beliefs of workshop participants about their career values and job rewards’

The project team

''How respected do you feel in the staff-room? Do parents consider the job you do a worthwhile one? How often do decision-makers ask you about your views on language education? Is language education regarded as a profession or a kind of generous service? We have learnt from the responses of dozens of our fellow professionals to the questions above that there is something fundamentally wrong with the prestige of language education and its practitioners. A small but enthusiastic group has heeded the call, hence this book. Whether you just want to reflect on the exhibits of the Teacher of the Week portrait gallery, or are keen to indulge in the ideal conditions of the metaphorical Language Teachers' Wonderland, welcome! Who knows, sooner or later, you may be the next to take matters into your own hands, to plan and implement one or more of the status raising actions recommended by us! Let us hope so! Our group can scarcely be more enthusiastic, but it has got to grow substantially to achieve our common aims, higher professional status!'' (Book Cover)

Factor analysis 2: Job rewards