Teachers as textbook developers: professional learning through boundary crossing in a textbook writing community of practice

This study explores the professional learning experiences of English for General Purposes (EGP) teachers transitioning into roles as textbook developers for English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Framed by the theoretical concept of boundary crossing and situated within a Community of Practice (CoP), this ethnographic case study investigates how teachers’ engagement in textbook writing facilitates the crossing of professional boundaries and promotes deeper learning. Data were collected over 15 months through semi-structured interviews, participant observations, netnographic observations, and documentation. Findings reveal that boundary crossing into textbook development mediates professional learning through hybrid professional identity formation, reflection, and recontextualization of experience, and coordination across multiple boundaries. The study also underscores the affordances of a CoP, showing how its shared goal, supportive leadership, emotional safety, and collective repertoire enable meaningful boundary crossing and professional transformation. This study underscores the value of school-based textbook writing CoP as meaningful sites for teacher learning and offers implications for educational institutions seeking to support teacher-driven textbook development and foster collaborative professional learning communities.