Chinese Self, Australian Other: Chinese as a Foreign Language Teacher Identity Construction in Australian Contexts

Abstract

Research in the field of Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) education has been increasing in the past decades. However, the number of studies on CFL teacher identity is limited. To bridge the gap, this study employed a qualitative method to explore Chinese CFL teachers’ identity formation and reformation in Australian contexts. A Chinese-Australian language program was studied to examine the challenges, struggles and developments of Chinese CFL teachers who came to Australia to pursue professional growth. Five Master’s theses and three interview participants were included to paint a picture of how Chinese CFL teachers interact internally and externally with a new environment. Guided by Mead’s theory of self and other, we found that Chinese CFL teachers’ identity formation and reformation in Australian classrooms are deeply influenced by their self-identification and their integration with others in the community. Cultural connectedness is a key for organizational attitudes in the relationship of self and other. Chinese CFL teachers were found lacking the wholeness of self in Australian contexts, which led to obstacles in teacher identity construction. Insufficient communication between self and other resulted in their positioning crisis.

Novice Chinese as a foreign language teachers’ identity construction in primary schools in New Zealand from positioning and affordance perspectives

“…Whereas, if affordances are challenges to novice CFL teachers, it may weaken their teacher identity construction. This echoes the existing literature that teachers may face various opportunities and challenges in the process of their Chinese language teacher identity construction in an overseas context (e.g., Moloney and Xu, 2015;Han and Ji, 2021;Sun, 2021). Moreover, the present study enriches the literature by extending the affordance perspective to the examination of teachers' identity construction.…”

“…The above positioning findings add evidence to the literature that self-positioning (i.e., reflexive positioning) and being positioned (i.e., interactive positioning) can help make sense of how different positions experienced by teachers may influence their teacher identity construction (Soreide, 2006). Specifically, our study echoes Han and Ji (2021), showing that the inconsistency between being positioned and self-positioning identities may shake novice CFL teachers' identity construction. For example, our study revealed that there was a conflict between selfpositioning as professionally trained Chinese language teachers and being positioned as outsiders and illegitimate teachers.…”

“…On the one hand, some studies found that CFL teachers’ identity tended to be authoritarian and teacher-centered under the influence of Confucianism (e.g., Moloney and Xu, 2015 ; Han and Han, 2019 ). On the other hand, others reported that the experience of teaching in another culture resulted in CFL teachers’ transformation of professional identity from an authoritative teacher on stage to a guiding facilitator by side (e.g., Han et al, 2019 ; Han and Ji, 2021 ).…”

“… Han and Ji’s (2021) ‘s investigation of CFL teachers’ identity formation and reformation in Australian classrooms is one of the few studies based on the positioning theory. The study found that CFL teachers were deeply influenced by their self-identification and their integration with others in the community.…”

Research on the path to enhance the cultural communication literacy of Thai international Chinese language teachers

“…language teachers should have the ability to spread traditional Chinese values, such as respecting the family, treating others politely, and being filial to parents. They can convey these values to students through stories, cases, and discussions, and guide them to implement them in their daily lives [4] .Chinese language teachers can promote Chinese art and literary works by organizing artistic performances, exhibitions, and competitions, guiding students to appreciate traditional Chinese music, dance, opera, and other forms of art, and encouraging them to participate in related activities to enhance their understanding and appreciation of Chinese art and literature. By setting reasonable goals and taking corresponding expansion measures, Chinese language teachers can enhance their cultural dissemination ability, stimulate students' interest and love for Chinese culture, and promote cultural exchange and cooperation between China and Thailand.…”