| dc.description.abstract | This thesis reports on a qualitative study that explored how Chinese language teachers cross boundaries for continuing professional development (CPD) while teaching in UK schools and how individual teachers’ boundary-crossing may be personalised and dynamic in association with their unique social history of education and teaching and their respective school context in the UK. The study was guided by the following research questions.
1, What boundaries are Chinese language teachers faced with while teaching in UK schools?
2, How do Chinese language teachers cross the boundaries towards continuing professional development?
3, How may boundaries and boundary crossing differ across individual teachers while teaching in UK schools?
The present study adopted a longitudinal, multiple case design to examine three Chinese language teachers’ (pseudonyms as Alex, Beatrix and Carol) boundary crossing in CPD and its associated factors as well as any potential differences among them. It was guided by Boundary Crossing and Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) theoretical frameworks. Data was collected over a period of approximately six months through on-going and retrospective teacher reflection journals, four periodic semi-structured interviews as well as ad hoc observations of online CPD-related events and discussions in social media groups.
The study demonstrated distinct clusters of boundaries for each individual teacher. Alex, as a newly qualified teacher (NQT) from China, showed four major boundary clusters: (1) the shift of teaching mode during the COVID-19 pandemic, (2) the intercultural gap, (3) Chinese language teaching, and (4) the difficulties embedded in daily duties at school. Beatrix, a non-native-speaking Chinese teacher from England, encountered three clusters of boundaries: (1) the difficulties of online teaching, (2) the proficiency in the Chinese language, and (3) the dual identity of a NQT and an experienced teacher. Carol, a native-speaking Chinese teacher dispatched by Centre for Language Education and Cooperation (whose objective is to deepen the language education exchanges and cooperation between China and other countries) to support the Chinese language teachers in UK schools. Her major boundaries were: (1) the shift in teaching mode under the circumstances of the Covid and its subsequent challenges, (2) the intercultural and educational gap between China and England, and (3) the career bottleneck originating from the teaching qualifications.
As boundaries varied across time for each participant, the participants each also took adaptive approaches to crossing those boundaries; and these approaches, analysed in light of the six components of CHAT (i.e. subject, object, tool, rules, community and division of labour) also varied across individuals and time. Cross-case comparison, while showing common boundaries (e.g. the shift of teaching mode during COVID) and approaches to boundary crossing (e.g. attending online workshops), also demonstrated notable variations across the three teachers and these variations were associated with many participant-intrinsic and extrinsic factors.
The findings collectively revealed the complex, dynamic, and personalised nature of Chinese language teacher CPD. They have enriched current understandings about the complexity of CPD decisions, professional learning, and teaching in Chinese language teachers, particularly those teaching in transnational, cross-cultural contexts. The findings also have practical implications for school leaders, teacher educators and policy makers on enhancing CPD in Chinese language teachers in the UK and beyond. | en_GB |
