LAUSR

Abstract This article reports an inquiry into the career development of a Chinese female teacher that assessed her professional agency to realize her female teacher identity and sustainable professional development. An analysis of the data collected from a timeline, metaphor, interviews, field observation, and netnographic observation reveals that the participant proactively enacted her agency in different professional tasks through the dynamic interplay of her agency beliefs, agency competence, and agency inclination. The participant negotiated to exercise her agency when role conflicts emerged due to her professional identity and gender identity, resorted to her own self-regulative and self-reflective strategies, and sought external support to deal with problematic situations. The findings of this case study may contribute to professional development not only as a model of personal reflection but also as a professional call to action.