College English Teacher Development in China

Name: College English Teacher Development in China
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Author: Jiying Han
ISBN: 978-3-0343-2451-9

Han, Jiying

College English Teacher Development in China

A Mixed-method Study

by Jiying Han (Author)

Education

Summary

This study addresses the professional development of college English teachers in mainland China. It is designed to examine the relationship between teachers’ motivation and their attitudinal elements including teacher engagement and commitment, and teaching approaches. This study adopts a mixed-method design that starts with a quantitative phase in which data were collected and analysed to examine the hypothesised predictive power of teachers’ motivation on their engagement, commitment and teaching approaches. In the second phase, qualitative data acquired via semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis were collected to further interpret, explain and elaborate the quantitative results in greater depth. As language teaching has been an often-researched discipline in the teacher motivation literature, this study prompts one to rethink and reflect on the effectiveness of college English curriculum reform and provides implications for current college English teaching and the development of college English teachers.

Excerpt

Cover
Title
Copyright
About the author
About the book
This eBook can be cited
Overview
Acknowledgements
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 The changing context of college English teaching in mainland China
1.2 The significance of teacher motivation in teacher development
1.3 Purpose of this study
1.4 Significance of this study
Chapter 2: Literature Review
2.1 Overview
2.2 Teacher development research
2.2.1 The significance of teachers in educational change
2.2.2 Evan’s teacher development framework
2.2.3 Extending the attitudinal elements of teacher development
2.2.4 The significance of motivation-focused attitudinal development in teacher development
2.3 Teacher motivation research
2.3.1 Research on language teacher motivation
2.3.2 The development of teacher motivation research
2.3.2.1 Influencing factors of teacher motivation
2.3.2.2 The effect of teacher motivation on teaching behaviour
2.3.3 The application of motivation theories in teacher motivation research
2.3.3.1 Expectancy-value theory
2.3.3.2 Self-determination theory
2.3.4 Achievement goal orientation theory and related studies
2.3.4.1 A conceptual review of achievement goal orientation theory
2.3.4.2 Achievement goal orientations for teaching
2.3.4.3 Achievement goal orientations for teaching and teaching behaviour
2.4 Research on teacher engagement and teacher commitment
2.4.1 The development of teacher engagement research
2.4.2 The relationship between teacher engagement and teacher motivation
2.4.3 The development of teacher commitment research
2.4.4 The relationship between teacher commitment and teacher motivation
2.5 Approaches to teaching and its relationship with teacher motivation
2.5.1 Teacher approaches to teaching in higher education
2.5.1.1 Teacher approaches to teaching as an indicator of teacher intellectual development
2.5.1.2 Teacher approaches to teaching as an indicator of teacher behavioural development
2.5.1.3 Disciplinary differences in teacher approaches to teaching in higher education
2.5.2 Language teacher approaches to teaching
2.5.2.1 Learner-centred approach and the theories behind it
2.5.2.2 Learner-centred approach in language teaching
2.5.2.3 The transition from traditional approaches to learner-centred approach to language teaching
2.5.3 Strategies adopted in language teaching and the relationship with teacher motivation
2.5.3.1 Motivational strategies in language teaching
2.5.3.2 The relationship with teacher motivation
2.6 Domestic studies of college English teachers in mainland China
2.6.1 College English curriculum reform
2.6.1.1 Enhanced teaching objectives
2.6.1.2 Decentralised national guidelines
2.6.1.3 Innovated teaching and evaluation process
2.6.1.4 Particular Concerns about teacher professional development
2.6.1.5 Changed roles of teachers
2.6.2 Innovated teaching approaches
2.6.3 Teacher development research
2.6.4 Teacher motivation research
2.6.5 Teacher engagement and commitment research
2.7 Summary
Chapter 3: Methodology
3.1 Conceptual framework
3.2 Reiteration of the research questions
3.3 Research design
3.4 Quantitative phase
3.4.1 Participants
3.4.2 Instrumentation
3.4.3 Data collection
3.4.4 Data analysis
3.4.5 Pilot study
3.4.5.1 Participants
3.4.5.2 Construct validity and reliability of the instrument
3.5 Qualitative phase
3.5.1 Case selection
3.5.2 Protocol development
3.5.3 Sources of documents
3.5.4 Data collection
3.5.5 Data analysis
3.5.6 Trustworthiness
3.6 Research ethics
Chapter 4: The Characteristics of College English Teachers’ Goal Orientations for Teaching
4.1 Overview
4.2 Quantitative Results
4.2.1 Construct validity and reliability of the GOT
4.2.2 Descriptive statistics and correlations
4.2.3 Comparison of differences in teachers’ goal orientations for teaching
4.3 Qualitative Results
4.3.1 Conceptualising the demographic differences in teachers’ goal orientations for teaching
4.3.2 Identifying factors influencing teachers’ goal orientations
4.3.2.1 Policy-based factors
4.3.2.2 Institution-based factors
4.3.2.3 Personal factors
4.4 Summary
Chapter 5: The Relationships Between Teachers’ Goal Orientations for Teaching, Engagement and Commitment
5.1 Overview
5.2 Quantitative results
5.2.1 Construct validity and reliability of the UWES and TCQ
5.2.2 Descriptive statistics and correlations
5.2.3 Relationship between teachers’ goal orientations for teaching and teacher engagement
5.2.4 Relationship between teacher goal orientations for teaching and teacher commitment
5.2.5 The mediation of teacher engagement on the relationship between teachers’ goal orientations for teaching and teacher commitment
5.3 Qualitative results
5.3.1 Construction of the relationship between teachers’ goal orientations for teaching and teacher engagement
5.3.2 Construction of the relationship between teachers’ goal orientations for teaching and teacher commitment
5.4 Summary
Chapter 6: The Relationships Between Teachers’ Goal Orientations for Teaching and Approaches to Teaching
6.1 Overview
6.2 Quantitative results
6.2.1 Construct validity and reliability of the ATI
6.2.2 Descriptive statistics and correlations
6.2.3 Relationship between teachers’ goal orientations for teaching and approaches to teaching
6.2.4 The mediation of teacher engagement on the relationship between teachers’ goal orientations for teaching and approaches to teaching
6.3 Qualitative results
6.3.1 Conceptualising the student-focused approach to college English teaching
6.3.2 Conceptualising the teacher-focused approach to college English teaching
6.4 Summary
Chapter 7: Discussion and Conclusions
7.1 Overview
7.2 Discussion
7.2.1 Characteristics of college English teachers’ goal orientations for teaching in mainland China
7.2.1.1 The validity and application of the GOT in the Chinese context
7.2.1.2 Characteristics of college English teachers’ goal orientations for teaching
7.2.1.3 Influencing factors of college English teachers’ goal orientations for teaching
7.2.2 The relationship between college English teachers’ goal orientations for teaching, engagement and commitment
7.2.2.1 Relationship between college English teachers’ goal orientations for teaching, engagement and commitment
7.2.2.2 The mediation of teacher engagement on the relationship between teachers’ goal orientations for teaching and teacher commitment s
7.2.3 The relationship between college English teachers’ goal orientations for teaching and approaches to teaching
7.2.3.1 Characteristics of college English teachers’ approaches to teaching
7.2.3.2 The relationship between teachers’ goal orientations for teaching and approaches to teaching
7.2.3.3 The mediation of teacher engagement on the relationship between teachers’ goal orientations for teaching and approaches to teaching
7.3 Implications
7.3.1 Implications for theory
7.3.2 Implications for practice
7.4 Limitations and future directions
7.5 Conclusions of this study
Appendices
Appendix 1: Questionnaire
Appendix 2: Interview protocol
References

← 18 | 19 →

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 The changing context of college English teaching in mainland China

In the past few decades, China’s reform and open door policies have hastened its economic development and extension into the international community. China’s entry into the World Trade Organisation, accelerated process of global integration and increasingly frequent international exchanges have resulted in pressing demands for training ‘composite talents’ who are expected to integrate their communicative skills with knowledge in specific fields. English has always been viewed as a key element in China’s modernisation and development, and college graduates with strong English usage abilities are in high demand. Along with the trend of globalisation and the increasing demand for English learning and usage, China’s government has made great efforts to politically and financially support the development of English language teaching (ELT) at various education levels. However, following the traditional ritual of modelling, mimicking and memorising activity in English classrooms, ELT in China has been compared to ‘a kettle of half-warm water that cannot be brought to the boil’ (Jing, 1999, cited in Gao, 2009), and criticised for ‘teaching-to-the-test’ (Tang & Biggs, 1996) in addition to producing ‘deaf and dumb’ English learners (Cheng & Wang, 2012). Therefore, improving students’ communicative competence in their use of English for educational and professional purposes is a vital concern for current English language teaching in mainland China.

College English teaching has always aroused a great deal attention and has undergone a great deal of change and reform since its official foundation. Recently, with the increasing emphasis on accountability in higher education, teaching quality has been placed firmly on the agenda in China (Yin & Wang, 2014). However, since the great expansion of student enrollment in the late 1990s, various stakeholders in China have expressed serious concerns about the decline in the quality of higher education. ← 19 | 20 → The latest round of college English curriculum reform has been planned since 2002 to meet the increased national and social demand for qualified personnel and keeping pace with China’s internationalisation and globalisation in the new era. The reform was unveiled with the release of the College English Curriculum Requirements (‘Requirements’) for trial implementation in 2004 and the finalised publication was released in 2007. The innovations in the college English teaching and learning process prescribed by Requirements 2007 initiated great changes and challenges for college English teachers. In general, major changes such as the transition of teaching objectives from the traditional dominance of reading and writing skills to a particular emphasis on listening and speaking skills; the innovated teaching model combining computer- and classroom-based teaching to facilitate students’ individualised and autonomous learning free from the constraints of time and space; the implementation of the communicative language teaching approach; and the overthrow of teachers’ traditional roles as dominators, controllers and authorities in the classroom advocated learner-centred approach to college English teaching rather than the traditional teacher-centred approach. The learner-centred approach advocated in Requirements 2007 placed higher demands on the professional development of college English teachers. As revealed in a nationwide survey (Zhou, 2005), there was a pressing need for this development.

Recently, after the reform of over 10 years, college Enlgish teaching in China will soon enter a new era with the coming promulgation of the Guidelines for College English Teaching (‘Guidelines’) which is expected to guide the new trend of college English teaching reform and result in the improvement of teaching quality. Although the Requirements 2007 has made a significant and revolutionary step forward in the process of college English curriculum reform by describing the aims of the professional development of college English teachers, an extra chapter will be added to the Guidelines focusing on the professional development of college English teacher in detail (Jia, 2015). ← 20 | 21 →

1.2 The significance of teacher motivation in teacher development

In theory, educational change always relies on the professional development of teachers. The last two decades have witnessed a boom in teacher development research, which has acknowledged the significance of teachers in the development and advancement of education in addition to the achievement of educational goals (e.g., Fullan, 2007; Fullan & Hargreaves, 1992). However, despite the various interpretations and frameworks of teacher development advanced by different researchers, it has commonly been assumed that ‘providing tertiary teachers with prescribed skills and teaching recipes will change their teaching practices and then improve their students’ learning outcomes’ (Ho, Watkins, & Kelly, 2001, p. 144). Therefore, the behavioural development of teachers has directed the content and processes of both teacher development and student learning.

Evans (2002, 2011) formally incorporated a number of work-related attitudinal elements into teacher development analysis. Of these attitudinal elements, motivation is perceived as a key subcomponent that prompts teachers to adopt new teaching practices and hence leads directly to individuals’ professional development. According to Evans, intellectual, attitudinal and behavioural development are three components fundamental to teachers’ professional development. However, far less research has considered motivation-focused attitudinal development due to the traditional focus on the enhancement of teachers in knowledge and practices. Although Evans did not discuss the relationship between the three constituent components of teacher development any further, evidence has indicated the role of motivation-focused attitudinal development in professional development and its effect on teachers’ intellectual and behavioural development (e.g., Guskey, 1986, 2002; Hargreaves & Fullan, 1992).

However, as a key component of teacher development, teacher motivation requires further investigation. The current knowledge of teacher motivation is psychology related, and there is much less teacher motivation research than student motivation research (e.g., Csikszentmihalyi, 1997; Dörnyei, 2005; Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2001, 2011). Teacher motivation determines what attracts individuals to teaching, how much they engage with the teaching profession and how long they remain in the profession (Sinclair, 2008). The three dimensions of teacher motivation identified by ← 21 | 22 → Sinclair (2008), including attraction, concentration and retention, correspond to teachers’ intrinsic teaching values, involvement in teaching and desire and willingness to remain in the teaching profession. The latter two dimensions conceptually relate the idea of teacher motivation to the psychological terms of teacher engagement and commitment which have been conceptually related to organisational performance and retention. As both teacher engagement and commitment demonstrate a structural similarity to the concept of attitude, i.e., the internal state of a person that precedes and guides action and comprises feelings, beliefs and behavioural inclinations (Ajzen, 2001), the attempt to incorporate teacher engagement and commitment as potentially work-related attitudinal elements into teachers’ attitudinal development enriches the current knowledge of teachers’ work-related attitudes towards teaching.

Teachers’ motivation is significant to their professional development due to its effect on their intellectual and behavioural development (Guskey, 2002). The interest in teachers’ behavioural development has stimulated a growing number of studies seeking evidence of what informs teachers’ approaches to teaching at the higher education level (e.g., Trigwell & Prosser, 1996, 2004; Prosser & Trigwell, 1999, 2006). In evaluating the effects of teachers’ behavioural development, studies have determined that teaching approaches are significant for two reasons (Stes, Coertjens, & Van Petegem, 2010). First, evidence has suggested that the way teachers approach teaching has important implications for their students’ approaches to learning. Second, teaching approaches are important for further development after instructional training. The teacher motivation research has most often focused on the relationship between teachers’ motivation and teaching practices, as it can have significant practical implications for improving the quality of their teaching. Some cross-cultural studies have preliminarily investigated the relationship between teachers’ motivation and their teaching behaviour including teaching styles (Hein et al., 2012), practices (Thoonen, Sleegers, Oort, Peetsma, & Geijsel, 2011) and instructional behaviour (Retelsdorf & Günther, 2011). However, the relationship between teachers’ motivation and teaching approaches remains uncertain due to a lack of relevant literature, and additional inquiries remain unanswered, especially when teacher development is taken into account.

The teacher motivation literature has made few attempts to examine teachers’ professional development issues, and very few studies have explicitly elucidated the relationship between teachers’ motivation, engagement, ← 22 | 23 → commitment and teaching approaches. Hence, teacher motivation research conducted from a teacher development perspective would clarify the current knowledge, and further examination of the relationships between teacher motivation and the aforementioned variables would reveal a deeper level of the effects of motivation on teachers’ work-related attitudes and teaching practices. Moreover, as the current knowledge of teacher motivation has primarily been derived from Western studies, research across multiple contexts and especially non-Western contexts is highly expected to enrich the current knowledge. Furthermore, as language teaching has been an often-researched discipline in the teacher motivation literature, the study of college English teachers in mainland China, especially in the context of curriculum reform, prompts one to rethink and reflect on the effectiveness of reform and provides implications for current college English teaching and the development of college English teachers.

Details

Pages: 228
Year: 2017
ISBN (PDF): 9783034324496
ISBN (ePUB): 9783034324502
ISBN (MOBI): 9783034324519
ISBN (Softcover): 9783034321327
Language: English
Publication date: 2017 (February)
Keywords: teacher development teacher motivation goal orientations for teaching approaches to teaching teacher engagement teacher commitment attitudinal development behaviour development intellectual development
Published: Bern, Bruxelles, Frankfurt am Main, New York, Oxford, Warszawa, Wien, 2017. 228 pp., 9 b/w ill., 14 b/w tables

Biographical notes

Jiying Han (Author)

Jiying Han is an associate professor and postdoctoral fellow in the School of Foreign Languages and Literature at Shandong University, P.R.China. She received a PhD in Education from the Faculty of Education at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Dr. Han has published a number of journal articles dealing with teacher development, teacher motivation and English language teaching and learning. She is also a consultant at the Center for Teaching Advancement and Faculty Development at Shandong University.

College English Teacher Development in China

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