This research investigates the under-researched area of teacher agency in research funding applications, specifically focusing on university foreign language teachers in China and their experiences with the NSSFC. The study's context is the increasing emphasis on research productivity and quality in Chinese higher education, driven by initiatives like "Double First Class" and the need for "high-quality development." University foreign language teachers, often burdened by heavy teaching loads and limited research training, face significant challenges in securing research funding. This study aims to understand how their agency influences their NSSFC application experiences, contributing to a broader understanding of teacher professional development and the complexities of research funding in the Chinese context. The NSSFC, a major source of funding for humanities and social sciences research in China, is used as a case study. Existing literature highlights challenges in language teacher researcher identity construction and the need for support in bridging the gap between teaching and research, but lacks focus on the agency involved in funding applications. This study addresses this gap by exploring how teachers' beliefs, practices, and emotions interact within a dynamic system to impact their funding success.

The paper reviews existing research on teacher agency, emphasizing its multifaceted nature and the mediating role of context. It examines studies on language teacher identity, highlighting challenges and complexities in their researcher identity construction, particularly in relation to power dynamics and limited research training. The study also reviews literature on the NSSFC in China, analyzing trends in funding distribution across different disciplines and pointing out the lack of research on university foreign language teachers’ experiences in applying for funding. While previous work examines NSSFC applications from a top-down perspective (evaluators' viewpoints), this study adopts a bottom-up approach focusing on the applicants’ perspectives and experiences. It uses Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST) as a theoretical lens to understand the dynamic and complex interplay of factors shaping teachers' agency in funding applications, drawing on studies employing CDST in language teacher agency research.

This qualitative case study uses purposeful sampling to select 12 university foreign language teachers at H University (HU) in East China who have successfully obtained NSSFC funding. Data collection involved narrative frames, guiding participants to recount their funding application experiences, supplemented by semi-structured interviews with three selected participants (Teacher Zhao, Teacher Cheng, and Teacher Ye) to clarify and deepen the narrative data. These interviews were conducted in two rounds, with an interval between them to allow for data analysis and further question development. Document analysis of participants' NSSFC application files and a researcher diary helped triangulate the data and account for potential biases. Thematic analysis was conducted using ATLAS.ti software, involving iterative coding and the integration of findings from different data sources. Intercoder reliability was ensured through independent coding and discussion between researchers. Ethical considerations, including informed consent and anonymity, were strictly followed.

The study identified three key subsystems within the complex system of teacher agency for research in funding applications: agency beliefs, agency practice, and agency emotions. Agency beliefs included recognition of the NSSFC's authority, fairness, and the honor associated with receiving funding. Agency practice encompassed motivation (professional development, career advancement, academic pursuit), preparation (literature review, understanding application guidelines), action (writing, revising, submitting), and reflection (learning from past experiences). Agency emotions involved a mix of positive (happiness, confidence, hope) and negative (anxiety, stress, desperation) emotions, with the latter considered an important driver for transformative action. The study also revealed that teachers’ agency is situated (past, present, future) and relational, involving interactions between personal competence and environmental factors (peer support, faculty support, research atmosphere). The past involved drawing upon prior research experiences, while the present involved evaluating current research needs, and the future concerned strategic planning and adapting to national research trends. Environmental factors, such as the university's research culture and the support provided, played a significant role. However, structural constraints, such as a heavy teaching load and perceived marginalization of foreign language studies, also impacted the teachers' agency.

The findings suggest that teacher agency for research is not a simple individual characteristic but a complex, dynamic system shaped by beliefs, practices, and emotions, all situated within a specific time frame and influenced by social interactions. The three key subsystems (beliefs, practice, emotions) interact dynamically, with beliefs informing practices and emotions mediating the relationship. The study's conceptual framework, integrating CDST with findings on situated and relational agency, highlights the interplay of individual and environmental factors in shaping funding application success. The proposed framework provides a better understanding of the complexities involved in teacher agency for research, explaining why some teachers are more successful than others. It also emphasizes the importance of both individual preparedness and supportive institutional environments in fostering teacher agency and facilitating successful research funding applications.

This study contributes to a deeper understanding of teacher agency in research funding, particularly in the context of Chinese university foreign language education. It offers a new conceptual framework and a practical pathway for enhancing teachers' agency, emphasizing the importance of fostering confidence, meticulous preparation, and active engagement with the research community. While valuable insights were gained, the study's limitations include its small sample size and focus on a single university in China. Future research should explore the generalizability of the findings across different contexts and employ longitudinal designs to track the evolution of teacher agency over time.

The study's findings are based on a relatively small sample of teachers from one university in China, potentially limiting the generalizability of the results to other contexts. The focus on successful applicants may also bias the findings, neglecting the experiences of teachers who did not receive funding. The study's reliance on self-reported data may also introduce biases related to participants' recall and interpretation of their experiences. Further, the study focuses on a specific timeframe and may not fully capture the long-term dynamics of teacher agency in research funding applications.