Introducing Myself & the Study
Amanda J. Fiore · 2025
This chapter provides a brief overview of essential elements of this study’s context, including an introduction to the researcher’s positionality, the purpose and significance of the study, and its guiding research questions. First, insights from the researcher’s personal experience as an English teacher in Taiwan for more than 20 years (2000–2006) are provided. These stories establish the researcher’s positionality and provide a useful glimpse into the lives of “foreign” teachers who make the choice to travel to Taiwan to teach English today, including their desire for adventure, the role of privilege in their experience, and the choice they make between legal and illegal work. This chapter concludes with an explanation of the purpose and significance of the study and its location, as well as a snapshot of the study itself, grounding readers in the research questions that will be explored in subsequent chapters.