An exploration of EAP professionalism in a joint venture Sino-British university in China

Abstract

Professionalism in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) is an evolving concept, emerging from the increasingly diverse range of contexts it is enacted within. This study utilises a qualitative research design to explore understandings of EAP professionalism, and the role of professional standards within this, in one such emerging context of EAP. Conducted in a joint venture Sino-British university in China, semi-structured interviews with 10 participants are used to explore EAP practitioners’ perceptions of the professional standards applied in this cross-cultural context, and their own professional beliefs, attitudes and values. Thematic analysis is utilised in combination with the deployment of Bourdieu’s theoretical thinking tools of habitus, capital and field. Findings reveal there to be significant misalignment between the participants’ own understandings of professionalism and the codified professional standards in this context. Participants’ habitus was found to be mismatched with this evolving sub-field of transnational education, creating a dissonance between participants’ own understandings of professionalism and the professionalism expected by the institution. The wider socio-political landscape impacts the formation of standards in this context, with influences revealed from the Chinese socio-political context and wider economy, in interaction with UK and global higher education trends. Within this, EAP practitioners’ roles are being shaped increasingly around administration and research, subtly altering what it means to be a teacher in this context, and the skills required. The findings suggest the transformative potential of reflexivity and the need for fostering dialogue among the teaching community both within the context and the wider EAP community, in order to draw on the strengths of the diverse voices and lived practices that constitute EAP professionalism.