Modernizing English Teacher Education in China : Faculty Perspectives
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University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 1-1-2004 Modernizing English teacher education in China : faculty perspectives. Timothy W. Taylor University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1 Recommended Citation Taylor, Timothy W., "Modernizing English teacher education in China : faculty perspectives." (2004). Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014. 2369. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1/2369 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MODERNIZING ENGLISH TEACHER EDUCATION IN CHINA FACULTY PERSPECTIVES A Dissertation Presented by TIMOTHY W. TAYLOR Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION February 2004 School of Education Copyright 2004 by Timothy William Taylor All Rights Reserved MODERNIZING ENGLISH TEACHER EDUCATION IN CHINA: FACULTY PERSPECTIVES A Dissertation Presented by TIMOTHY W. TAYLOR Approved as to style and content by: George E. Urch, Chair J V Robert J. Miltz, Member V \ L Donald E. Gjertso4/Member For Mom and Dad ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many thanks to everyone who helped on this journey of a thousand miles. The first step was taken when my parents. Bill and Darlene Taylor, instilled in me, by example and encouragement, a love of learning from earliest memory. This dissertation is dedicated to them in thanks. George Urch was a generous, unfailing and patient guide over many years. Irving Seidman offered me the research tools that I needed. Conversations with Bob Miltz and Donald Gjertson were catalytic. Jim Troudt, Grant Wolf, Debbie Darrell and the entire Baha’i community of Amherst were solid pillars of support throughout. I owe much gratitude to Peg Louraine, who brought me across the finish line. Dwight Allen recruited me to the field of education and introduced me to his brainchild, the Center for International Education. He has proved a great goad and godsend again and again. But for him this dissertation would not be. Shuli Xu introduced me to Hebei Teachers’ University and made the research plan practicable. When I arrived in China, the Chinese English teachers of the university gave their time and reflections with candor, kindness and good humor. The Deans and other faculty of Hebei Teachers’ University were helpful beyond every expectation, especially Deans Dong, Tien and Pan. Special thanks to my teaching assistants Song Zhifang and Li Shaofeng. The students of the university welcomed me warmly as one of their own teachers and added an enriching personal dimension to the experience of getting to know China. When we were married, Emma gracefully adopted this research. She was always helpful and is the ideal travel companion. Our children Daniel and Jessica bring meaning and joy to every step of the way. v ABSTRACT MODERNIZING ENGLISH TEACHER EDUCATION IN CHINA FACULTY PERSPECTIVES FEBRUARY 2004 TIMOTHY WILLIAM TAYLOR B.A., JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY M.Ed., UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA Ed D., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by Professor George Urch This study is an interdisciplinary inquiry into the social dynamics of Chinese English teacher education and the process of its change as viewed from the perspective of teacher education faculty. Chinese English teacher education is a product of diverse and conflicting socio-cultural influences, among which Marxism, Confucianism, Russian linguistics, and Western teaching practices feature prominently. Chinese English teacher training is adopting a more modem approach in response to a burgeoning population of English students, economic demand, technological advances, increased focus on the communicative aspects of language learning, and international exchange. The principal research was conducted as a case study at China’s largest teacher training university, Hebei Teachers’ University, from 1997 to 1999. The study presents the results of 54 in-depth phenomenological interviews with 20 English teacher education faculty. The analysis of data from the faculty interviews reveals recurrent themes about the process of English teacher education. Among the dominant influences on English teacher training are an academic culture favoring theory above practice; a vi default teacher training strategy of learning by imitation; a cultural ethic mandating harmony in collegial relations; and the bureaucratic structure of the university, which inhibits innovation. The process and prospects of modernizing teacher education are explored and presented. Among the influences of modernization effecting faculty are increased exposure to alternative teacher training strategies, study abroad, international professional development, university recruitment practices, foreign teachers, and the growing availability of teaching technology. For historical perspective, the study explores the history of English teacher education in China from the beginning of the missionary era up to the modem period in which the study was conducted (1664 - 1997), suggesting cultural, institutional and political precursors to the context of the study. The study also explores a philosophical foundation for the faculty perspectives with a discussion of phenomenology as it relates to the exploration of meaning in individual undertaking. Making meaning is a process that takes place within a landscape of one’s own personal, social and cultural experience, which in turn serves as a constant referent. The study offers recommendations for modernizing teacher education as a response to the faculty perspectives. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS v ABSTRACT LIST OF TABLES Xll LIST OF FIGURES xiu CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY j Background to the Problem 1 Problem 4 Purpose 6 Significance 7 Research Methodology 9 Limitations 13 Review of the Literature 15 Formalism and Activism 16 Linguistic and Communicative Competencies 20 Outline of the Dissertation 25 2 HISTORICAL CONTEXT 27 Introduction 27 Early Period (1664-1861) 30 Early Mission Influence 32 Robert Morrison’s First Missionary School 34 The Opium War (1840-1842) 39 Western Publications 40 Institutional Experiments (1861-1 902) 41 Earliest Chinese English Education Institutions 43 Mission Expansion and the “English Question” 46 Modernization and the New Republic (1902-1949) 48 viii Ongoing Role of Christian Missions 50 Nationalism 52 Socialism and A New China ( 1 949- 1 997) 54 The Russian Years (1949-1956) 55 The Renaissance Years (1957-1965) 57 The Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) 60 The Era of Reform (1978-1997) 61 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN 65 Introduction 65 Research Methodology 66 Philosophical Roots of Phenomenology 68 Historical Research and Participant Observation 73 Triangulation 74 Research Design 75 Pilot Study 79 Participant Generated Themes 80 Political Climate 82 Family 85 Early Education 87 English Education 90 Teacher Education 92 Limitations and Conclusion 97 4. PRESENTATION OF DATA 99 Introduction 99 Rich Sample Participant Series - Mr. Wu 103 Interview One - Personal Background 104 Interview Two - Professional Background 113 Interview Three - Reflection and Meaning 124 Participant-Generated Themes 133 Political Context 134 Teacher Training 137 International Teacher Training 139 IX Teaching Methods 142 Teaching Resources 145 Student Attitudes Towards English 149 Teacher and Student Relations 151 Foreign Teachers 153 Administration 155 Examinations 156 Conclusion 1 59 5 ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSIONS 160 Summary of Findings 161 Issues of Consequence to Modernization Efforts 165 Modernizing Teaching Methods 165 Expanding Experience 168 Merit Teaching and Model Teachers 170 Lack of Motivation 172 Burdens of Bureaucracy 174 Foreign Influences 175 Program Recommendations 177 Enhance Teaching Practice 177 Broaden Faculty Experience 178 Systematize Feedback Protocols 178 Implement Modem Teaching Methods 179 Utilize Foreign Teaching Resources 180 Utilize Tradition 181 Suggestions for Further Research 182 APPENDICES A. TEACHER EDUCATION IN CHINA 184 B GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR PARTICIPANT INTERVIEWS 194 C COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT OF PARTICIPANT INTERVIEWS WITH MR. WU 198 D MEMO TO THE DEAN OF THE FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE DEPARTMENT OF HEBEI TEACHERS’ UNIVERSITY 136 x BIBLIOGRAPHY . 238 xi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Traditional and Communicative Language Learning Approaches 24 2. Schools Established by English-speaking Missionaries After Opium War 41 3 Number of Full-Time Junior and Senior Secondary School Russian and English Language Teachers in China 1957-1965 5g 4. Interview Participants 101 5. Basic Statistics of Specialized Teacher Training Schools in 1998 185 xii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Faculty motivations in conflict 164 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY Hebei Teachers’ University (HTU) is the largest teachers’ university in China and perhaps the world. It serves over 25,000 students, preparing them for careers as teachers, mostly in Hebei province, which surrounds the country’s capital of Beijing HTU is located in Shijiazhuang, the capital of the province, 174 miles southwest of Beijing. This case study will examine the perspectives of the faculty in the English Teacher Education Program at