Exploring the Epistemic Agency of Induction‐Year English Language Teachers in Hong Kong: A Qualitative Study

ABSTRACT This qualitative study explores the induction‐year experiences of early‐career English language teachers in Hong Kong through the lens of epistemic agency. Drawing on interpretative phenomenological analysis, it examines how three secondary‐school English teachers engaged with a professional development programme focused on teacher questioning and how school‐based mentoring and institutional expectations shaped their professional learning. The findings indicate that mentoring practices created markedly different agentive spaces for the novice teachers. Mentoring‐as‐cultivation provided early‐career teachers with opportunities to enact epistemic agency and helped them address belief–practice gaps arising from institutional expectations. The study underscores the value of induction models that are both context‐specific and epistemically oriented, integrating school‐based mentoring with classroom‐focused professional development aligned with local curricula and pedagogical ethos. By examining the interplay between teacher identity, agency, and professional learning, this study offers insights into how early‐career teachers can be supported in navigating the practice shock during their induction years, ultimately contributing to teacher retention and development in Hong Kong's educational landscape.