A Narrative Inquiry into Chinese Pre-Service Teacher Education and Induction in West China Through Cross-Cultural Teacher Development

By Ju HuangDoctoral CandidateFaculty of Education, University of Windsor

Pre-service teacher

in China

Teacher educator in SWU

Beginning teacher in the U.S.

Guide teacher

& doctoral student

My Background

IntroductionBackground of the Study

Teacher Education Reciprocal Learning Program coordinated by Dr. Shijing Xu (2010-now)

• Initiated with Dr. Ling Li in 2008 and developed with Dr. Shijian Chen at Southwest University (SWU)* with GECDSB as a partner since 2010.

• Collaborated with Dr. Michael Connelly and succeeded in applying a 7-year SSHRC Partnership Grant in 2013.

*SWU: more than 10,000 teacher candidates, with one fifth of them members of ethnic minorities (Li, 2009).

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IntroductionBackground of the Study

The program is an extended application of Xu’s (2006, 2011) concept of “reciprocal learning” in education.

• Xu (2006) develop ...with immigrant Chinese families, based on Connelly’s school-based research.

• Xu explored the school experiences of immigrant children from circular migration families (2008-2011).

• Xu developed Canada-China sister school network project with Dr. Connelly (2009-2012). • Xu (2010) developed Reciprocal Learning Program between U of Windsor and SWU

Goals of Reciprocal Learning Program:To provide an exceptional cross-cultural experience with international engagement; to broaden teacher candidates’ horizons for a society of increasing diversity in today’s globalized world (Xu, 2011).

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IntroductionBackground of the Study

Reciprocal Learning Program consists of two parts each year:

In Fall Semester: In May:SWU teacher candidates visit UW. UW teacher candidates visit SWU

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Rationale

•Personal connections to Reciprocal Learning Program: •Changed “one-way-street” view into” two-way-street” (Howe & Xu, 2011, p.37).

•Seeking knowledge is equivalent to extending boundaries (Hayhoe & Pan, 2001).

•Hayhoe and Phillips (1989) note that these different values need to be understood and appreciated if international programs are to produce success, mutuality and sustainability.

•Leung and Pan (2013) highlight the importance of human values and culture in international academic relations.

•To fill the gap of the limited research regarding the longitudinal impact of cross-cultural learning experience on pre-service teachers (Schlein, 2007). 6

Research Questions

• How does cross-cultural learning in Canada influence Chinese pre-service teacher candidates’ early careers teaching in West China?

• What are the factors that shape who they are as beginning teachers in West China?

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Methodology

Narrative inquiry is “a way of understanding experiences through stories”(Connelly & Clandinin, 1990, p. 2 ). Narrative is both phenomenon and method.

Theoretical Framework: Three-dimensional life space •Temporality (past-present-future)•Sociality (personal-social)•Place (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000).

(Xu & Connelly, 2009) 8

Methodology…/2Participants:Chinese pre-service teachers who participated in the Reciprocal Learning Program in 2010 and 2011 and are teaching in West Chinanow.

Place in West China No. Program participants

Chongqing 7

Sichuan 10

Xinjiang 1

Guizhou 1

Xiangxi TujiaAutonomous Prefecture

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Total 20 9

2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014

• From my fieldwork as a graduate assistant for the program, I collected field texts from 2011 to 2014:

• Conversational interviews• Observation: Field notes of observing graduate course in Aug 2013(the

exterior conditions, settings and my inner feelings).• Document analysis: policy documents; participants’ personal journals;

coursework assignments.

Methodology…/3

Field Text Collection

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Guli Li Bing

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Passion （Before teaching）

Guli

• I began to regret that I couldn’t write Mongolian language ... My older sister went to Mongolian school…to write in Mongolian and fluent in Mandarin.

• …share what I saw and experienced ... a lesson called Travel in Grade 6…. They were thrilled to … would happen on the people around them…

• …motivate me to be a good teacher. I like Canadian students…studied happily.. confident and active. …to be a teacher who can make student

fid d h

Li Bing

•…As a biology teacher, I will teach students to think independently and inquiry actively, as well as to develop their ability of finding problems.

•I do not know why there are a world of differences in education between East and West

•I want to know what inquiry learning mean… many inquiry learning in Chinese schools are not genuine inquiry learning…

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Guli’s Passion: before the first year experience:

Inspired by the multicultural education in Canada, Guli began to trace her cultural root by self-studying written Mongolian…

•I wanted to make contributions to Mongolian education. I took a Mongolian language class to learn to read and write in Mongolian after I came back from Canada. I will continue to learn when I work in the Mongolian school.

•I am happy to teach English rather than technology. I would like to focus on how to help Mongolian students to learn English and I want to pursue master degree. My boyfriend told me not to have too high an expectation at the beginning of teaching career.

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After one semester of teaching

Guli Li Bing

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Pressures:

Guli

•…The competition of entering the college is less fierce … So, teachers do not have specific requirements on students’ academic performances.

•…Discipline is not only a focus, but also a difficult task in everyday education. The teachers who is in charge of a class is able to decide whether a misbehaving student should be maintained or expelled

• … the pressure of improving students’ academic achievements is heavy…hints of warning of moving to teach junior high if fails to improve…

• They (administrators) do not care what you have done. Score is the only assessment …

• I focused on ability of thinking rather than key points. It is not easy since students got used to memorizing key points from teachers… students care scores.. Blame on teachers..

。

Guli

Puzzlements:

Mandarin is the first and English is the second foreign language. She taught English in Han classes in Grade 10. •..call for trilingualism… but the feasibility … hangs in the balance…I worried whether …learn both ..well, let alone English.

•…has established many favorable policies to … i.e. Mongolian students …with much lower scores in ‘Gaokao’ (entrance examination to universities in China). It is lower the motivation of ethnic students to work hard

Guli Li BingReform… both top-down and bottom up. We need administrators with great vision. We call principal boss. It is not proper …assessment of a principal is how much benefit s/he bring for the school.

Biology consists of 80 scores in Gaokao while chemistry 100 and Physics 120…not want to chase after students and push them to learn... It wastes students’ time if they are not interested in it.

I do not like have students to do a great deal of exercises although it is crucial for students to get high score.

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Professional learning and mentorship

• …this teacher training was a waste of time. The instructor did not teach well. He liked to boast about his achievements. He required us to write 15 field notes of observing etc…half million words documents.. .meaningless.

• I was uncomfortable with recruitment of beginning teacher training. It is for anyone who have not taught G 12 and Gaokao

• …should talked about school tradition and rules. It is important to have experienced teachers walk with us to classrooms and familiarize the school.

• …I cannot learn anything from my mentor…She never observes my class, or offers advice. I had to fill out forms of mentoring at the end of the semester. …She always wants to get something from me but never gives.

• Some of the experienced teachers often said, ‘Young teachers like you have so much time to spend on talking with students. We cannot afford the time.

Guli Li Bing

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Struggles of adapting to the school culture:

Guli

• When I ran into principal, he even did not say hello to me. It was embarrassing. I assumed that it was because biology was not so important. It diminished the teacher in front of the children.

• I miss the equal atmosphere of Canadian school where I had

Li Bing

• I was assigned as a homeroom teacher and this decision was un-negotiable. Since I’m a new teacher, I cannot say ‘No’ to a job. Maybe because of that, a lot of work comes my way.

• I am not happy about the leadership. They are very judgmental. We young teachers like to encourage students.

•

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Struggles of adapting to the school culture:

Libing• …not adapt to school well. I need

to continue to find out “teachable moments” and touch my students.

• I talked with students and mentioned Canadian students’ way of learning. They were quite interested in it although it is hard for them to do.

• Mostly, I talked with students on special needs education and my experience in Center school during practicum. I showed them an video and taught them never give up. They were touched…

Guli

• I was depressed …not want to be assimilated by other teachers...The school has a habit of being behind in its work. Efficacy is much lower in ethnic school ...

•I do not like the staff room…don’t have privacy ... Other teachers even made comments in Mongolian when... I have no choice but take my students to the corridor to talk

After one year of teaching

Guli: upon quitting

Li Bing: Got 1st prize

• It was a very, very difficult year…

• My older sister graduated from this ..ten years ago...has deep affection ..were surprised to know that the downward trend for Mongolian education

• More Mongolian students went to Han schools…began to recruit Han students, who did not perform well …It had negative influence on the reputation of the school.

•• I decided to seek other alternatives for my career path….

Guli wants to quit in the first year

•Young teachers want to contribute to .... However, our workload was heavy. We do not have time ...

•90% of teachers are Mongolian…Most young teachers like me went to Han schools. We do not speak Mongolian at school since we worry our Mongolian will be laughed by students if making any mistakes.

•Very few teachers are able to use Mongolian ... 10 years ago, teachers were proficiency... Since 2004, teachers were encouraged to promote Mandarin proficiency and bilingual education. Some were trained to teach in Mandarin for 2 years…got used to teach in Mandarin. Now, new policy requested to strengthen Mongolian teaching.

Guli LibingI got the first prize in the teaching competition. I taught relaxed with good control of teaching pace. I need to learn from experienced teacher. Don not assume that they are representing old fashion. They commented my class sharply and inspirationally.

Don't wait until the policy makers to make some changes.. You can change it from your own class teaching.

Nothing is impossible. You can start supporting curriculum reform by teaching methods in a new we. We can change our class. The change doesn't need to be in the whole country. You can change a little bit and inspire other to do that.

After the first year:

Guli: After one semester in the second year

She came back to SWU to have graduate courses in the summer 2013.

•Newly gained interest in teaching and research I feel so refreshed when I go back to study. The Associate Dean of Faculty of Foreign Languages met me for my master thesis topic. He has extended experience in teaching in a middle school for 7 years. I was inspired by him.

•More professional maturity and realistic expectation on studentsI wish students can learn both Mandarin and Mongolian well. Mongolian language is an indispensible carrier of Mongolian cultural important to improve their self-esteem of being a Mongolian. I also hope they can learn English well since the low level of English proficiency will affect their study or graduate successfully in the universities.

• Began to do research on Tri-lingualismShe applied a school-based grants on how to teach English to bilingual education classes in ethnic senior high school. She got support from RTLP

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Implications

Teacher Education:• Examine the needs for teachers, particularly these beginning teaching in

multilingual and multicultural area.• Develop multicultural and global awareness to pre-service teacher education

program. • Explore and improve teacher’s practice and seek out support to beginning

teachers.

School Education:• The curriculum reform is disconnected from the daily lived experiences of

teachers and students• When test scores are the measurement, test content becomes the curriculum

and teacher teaching.• One reform project may negate the goals of another reform project due to

competing goals/theories

Future Research:• Keep following up and explore beginning teacher’s induction process in the

context of educational reform in China and globalized world.

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References

Clandinin, D.J. & Connelly, F.M. (2000) Narrative inquiry---Experience and story in qualitative research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education: The 60th anniversary edition. West Lafayette: Kappa Delta Pi.

Leng, P. & Pan, J. (2013). The Issue of Mutuality in Canada-China. Educational Collaboration Canadian and International Education, 42 (2).

Hayhoe, R. & Pan, J. (Eds.). (2001). Knowledge across culture: A contribution to dialogue among civilizations. Hong Kong: Comparative Education Research Center, University of Hong Kong.

Xu, S. J., & Connelly, F. M. (2009). Narrative inquiry for teacher education and development: Focus on English as a foreign language in China. Teaching and Teacher Education: An Internal Journal of Research and Studies, 25(2), 219-227.

THANK YOU Xiexie 谢谢

Questions and Comments

Ju HuangPhD Candidates

University of Windsorhuang112@uwindsor.ca

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