Chinese English Teachers' Perceptions of Foreign English Teachers| A Qualitative Study in Positioning

• Main Author: Armstrong, Sean P.
• Language: EN
• Published: Northcentral University 2018
• Subjects: Bilingual education|Asian studies|English as a second language|Educational leadership
• Online Access: http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=13420743

<p> In this qualitative explanatory single case study, community of practice and positioning theory were used to examine the perceptions of Chinese English teachers (CETs) concerning foreign English teachers (FETs) in a bilingual primary school in an urban environment in East China. The problem in this study was the difficulty of CETs and FETs to work harmoniously to teach English in Chinese primary schools. Specifically, the research questions were a) what are the Chinese English teachers&rsquo; perceptions of barriers to collaborating with foreign English teachers? and b) What are the Chinese English teachers&rsquo; perceptions regarding the contributions of the foreign English teachers in relation to English language teaching? At this school, each Chinese teacher was paired up with a foreign teacher as co-teaching dyad with shared responsibility. After conducting interviews with seven Chinese English teachers at the school, the interview transcripts were coded using values coding methods and descriptive coding. After compiling the data, six themes emerged relative to the research questions. Concerning barriers to collaboration, the Chinese English teachers mentioned noticeable differences in the dedication to teaching, a lack of solidarity between the two groups, and problems with the administration of the school. Contributions of the foreign teachers were providing cultural context, different approaches in teaching and working with the students, and native speaker model. From these results, it was recommended that foreign teachers need to demonstrate their desire to teach in better ways to their Chinese coworkers. Additionally, school administration must provide more direct leadership so that teachers can know what is expected of them concerning how to work together with the other teachers.</p><p>