Speakers
Description
This study explores what makes PanSIG distinctive by examining attendee experiences through the lenses of communities of practice and emotion. Using a qualitative, hand-coded thematic analysis of publicly available PanSIG Transportation Grant reports from 2024–2025, the study identifies recurring themes related to emotion, community, and professional identity. Findings suggest that participants value PanSIG not only for professional learning, but for the sense of belonging, affirmation, and personal growth fostered through participation.
References
Aung, K. T. T., Mar, A. A., & Briscoe, P. (2021). English Language Teachers’ Perceptions and Experiences of Conferences. Journal of English Language and Linguistics, 2(2), 123-145.https://doi.org/10.62819/jel.2021.122
Lave, J. (1991). Situating learning in communities of practice.
Tajeddin, Z., & Yazan, B. (Eds.). (2024). Language teacher identity tensions: Nexus of agency, emotion, and investment. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003402411-1
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning as a social system. Systems thinker, 9(5), 2-3.
Short summary
This study explores what makes PanSIG distinctive by examining attendee experiences through the lenses of communities of practice and emotion. Using a qualitative, hand-coded thematic analysis of publicly available PanSIG Transportation Grant reports from 2024–2025, the study identifies recurring themes related to emotion, community, and professional identity. Findings suggest that participants value PanSIG not only for professional learning, but for the sense of belonging, affirmation, and personal growth fostered through participation.
Keywords
communities of practice
professional development
language teacher identities
Abstract
While the transmission of knowledge is a key part of conferences, what draws attendees is participation in communities of practice (Lave, 1991; Wenger, 1998). Recent research highlights the importance of emotions, community, and identity in language teaching contexts (Aung, Mar, & Briscoe, 2021; Tajeddin & Yazan, 2024). Drawing on these frameworks, this study examines PanSIG as a site of professional learning to explore how participation is experienced. What, then, do attendees think about their PanSIG experiences? To answer this, we analyzed reports from PanSIG Transportation Grant winners. As a condition of being awarded the grant, winners are required to publish a report on their experience in the following year’s conference handbook. This provides a rich source of data about participant experiences, allowing for an inductive approach to revealing impressions of the conference. We employed a qualitative, hand-coded thematic analysis of the published reports between 2024 and 2025. These reports are publicly available on the PanSIG conference website. Reports were iteratively coded to identify recurring patterns related to communities of practice, professional development, and developing language teacher identity. We found that winners wrote frequently of their feelings about the conference, the sense of community derived from their participation, and the value the experience had in their own personal and professional development. This presentation explores what makes PanSIG distinctive by analyzing grant reports through the lenses of communities of practice and emotion. Attendees will gain insight into how participation in PanSIG supports community, identity, and professional development and why these elements matter.
| Scheduling preference | Anytime on Saturday or Sunday |
|---|---|
| Title | What makes PanSIG…PanSIG? Reflections of Grant Winners |