Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc.
(TESOL)
English Language Teaching in China: Trends and Challenges
Author(s): Yi'An Wu
Source: TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 35, No. 1 (Spring, 2001), pp. 191-194
Published by: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL)
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Wu, Yian. (2001). English Language Teaching in China: Trends and Challenges. TESOL Quarterly, 35/1, 191-194.
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TEACHING ISSUES
TESOL Quarterly publishes brief commentaries on aspects of English lan
teaching. For this issue, we asked two educators to comment on current c
for TESOL in China.
Edited by BONNY NORTON
University of British Columbia
TESOL in China: Current Challenges
English Language Teaching in China:
Trends and Challenges
YI'AN WU
Beijing Foreign Studies University
Beijing, People's Republic of China
* Learning English in a Chinese language environment is a
daunting task. Millions of EFL learners' take regular English co
4 class hours a week, 18 weeks a term, for 12 terms in high school a
8 terms at university. For those not majoring in English, the goal
function adequately in English at work, but not many have develop
necessary competence. In fact, although English language teac
(ELT) is a huge profession in the process of reform and renovat
seems to fall far short of meeting the needs generated from the cou
rapid developments in the economy, science, and technology, and f
increasing contact with the outside world (Qin, 1999). As a conseque
the importance of English at all levels of education canno
overemphasised.
Although English education may not be able to keep up with the
for it, over the years Chinese universities have provided tens of tho
of competent English users, a great majority of these having
English majors educated in over 300 intensive English program
However, this number is actually rather small relative to China's n
1There are more than 200 million primary and high school pupils in China. In Sep
2000, 2 million school leavers were enrolled in universities.
TESOL QUARTERLY Vol. 35, No. 1, Spring 2001
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191
and compared with the huge number of young adults trying to master
English in addition to their other areas of study. Programmes designed
for majors face a different challenge. A recent large-scale investigation
(He, Yin, Huang, & Liu, 1999), initiated by the Higher Education
Division of the Ministry of Education, reveals that in general the
country's need for foreign language workers equipped with target
language skills alone has dropped to zero. All foreign language majors
are expected to develop knowledge of other areas in addition to
competence in a foreign language. The Ministry of Education responded
quickly to the need for English for students across disciplines by
organizing major curriculum reviews for schools and for major and
nonmajor English programmes at universities nationwide. Long-distance
ELT and English on-line programmes are joining forces with formal ELT
programmes in attempting to upgrade English proficiency levels across
the nation. The ELT profession has felt the impact throughout the
country, where many people are demanding reform.
In what follows, I outline what I see as the dominant trends of reform.
I also discuss the accompanying challenges, with a view to appealing for
support and efforts to promote ELT in China and for research in formal
English language learning in a nontarget language environment.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE PLANNING
In recent years, English has been introduced into the prim
curriculum in an increasing number of cities across China
being made to plan a two-stage learning process consis
primary/junior high/senior high stage and the university st
cover a total span of 14-16 years. Ideally, the learning proces
a cumulative one with varying subgoals and approaches fo
stages, necessarily constrained by the developmental char
the learners' cognitive growth and their learning environmen
the reformers are still far from knowing a sound basis on w
the sequence of learning. Nor do curriculum reformers have
evaluating the planning yet. An added complication is tha
country like China, any planning has to accommodate the
development in English proficiency levels among the learner
is needed to address these curriculum and evaluation issues.
TEACHER EDUCATION
Administrators and teachers themselves are increasingly a
is teachers who hold the key to the outcome of reform and
ELT. Teacher education has received increasing attention,
university EFL teachers, who in general have not been tr
192
TESOL QUARTERLY
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profession. The Ministry of Education, teachers' universities, leading
linguistics and applied linguistics programmes, and ELT publishers have
all been involved in organizing training programmes, and teachers are
eager to take advantage of the opportunities.
But questions remain about how to develop teacher education
programmes most effectively. What are suitable models of teacher
development in China, where there is an acute shortage of ELT teachers
and the need for development is often threefold-in (a) English
proficiency levels; (b) knowledge about language in general, English in
particular, and language learning; and (c) language teaching philosophies and methodology? What are we as TESOL professionals in China
to draw from our own traditional ELT and from contemporary theories,
research findings, and trends of practice in the profession? How can we
best organize research with a view to meeting the challenges we face?
These seem urgent questions to take up before teacher education can
significantly affect ELT in China.
MATERIALS
Textbooks are essential in formal ELT in China. They pro
suggest approaches and methodology, and guide or impose th
learning. Materials also offer education of a sort. The major c
reviews and the subsequent launching of new curricula call for
materials that frame and support systematic, efficient, an
English language learning. ELT publishers and teachers hav
to respond to the need.
Challenges to material writing include (a) a shortage
materials, (b) a lack of full understanding of Chinese learners
process in the formal school environment, and (c) the need to
traditional and multimedia materials effectively. To meet the
lenge, in recent years Chinese publishers and publishers
English-speaking countries have tended to form collaborat
ships. More crucially, though, material writers need to b
informed in relevant theories and research findings conc
guage teaching and learning, in task design, and in prin
methods that work in the traditional language teaching parad
ASSESSMENT
As a form of assessment, language testing is especially influ
education in China. Indeed, large-scale exams whose design
structuralism and whose format is predominantly multiple ch
been found to constrain language teaching in a rather nega
Teachers and administrators demand improvements in tes
TEACHING ISSUES
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193
While
While
existing
existing
test designs
test designs
are being are
improved,
beingorganized
improved,
efforts
organized
have
eff
been
beendirected
directed
to alternative,
to alternative,
more task-based
more test
task-based
designs guided
testbydesign
contemporary
contemporary
language
language
testing theories.
testingUnlike
theories.
the earlier
Unlike
tests,the
these
earlier
new
newtests
tests
givegive
due attention
due attention
to speaking
toand
speaking
writing. They
and are
writing.
designed They ar
with
witha view
a view
to promoting
to promoting
learning. learning.
Formative assessment
Formative
has been
assessment
a
means
means
of of
teaching
teaching
for many
forexperienced
many experienced
language teachers
language
over theteache
years,
years,
butbut
little
little
research
research
has been has
conducted
beenon
conducted
formative assessment
on formative
in
ass
China
China
and
and
abroad.
abroad.
There There
seems a need
seems
for asuch
need
research
for such
to complement
research to com
language
language
testing.
testing.
RESEARCH
All the trends outlined above, however immature or robust, must
depend upon systematic research and informed practice to sustain and
bloom. To upgrade ELT in China and to contribute to the TESOL field,
China will need to organize nationwide research teams in each of the
subareas of study and to draw on international expertise. Initial efforts
are being made toward this end.
THE AUTHOR
Yi'an Wu holds a Cambridge PhD in applied linguistics and is profes
director of the National Research Centre for Foreign Language Ed
Beijing Foreign Studies University. She has published in second l
tion, language testing, and curriculum design.
REFERENCES
He, Q., Yin, T., Huang, Y., & Liu, H. (1999). Thoughts on reform
majors. Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 117, 24-28.
Qin, J. (1999). The status quo of FLT at tertiary level. Foreign Langua
Research, 117, 3-6.
Communicative Language Teaching in China:
Progress and Resistance
LIMING YU
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Shanghai, People's Republic of China
* It has been more than two decades since the communicati
teaching (CLT) approach was introduced to the Chinese fo
guage community, affecting tens of millions of Chinese
194
TESOL QUARTERLY
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