Transforming the perspectives of novice teacher-researchers from China through studying abroad

: practice-based research in Chinese language education

Abstract

With the development of globalisation, teachers studying abroad has become an effective way to enhance teacher internationalisation. However, existing research on teachers studying abroad mainly focuses on language acquisition (McCormick, 2018) and intercultural competencies (McBride et al., 2020), while teachers’ research competence development and professional development have not been sufficiently explored (Barkhuizen, 2021). Therefore, the thesis investigates the transformative learning experiences of preservice Chinese teachers in international Chinese language education in research-oriented programs in Australia. A case study was employed to investigate the research questions. The Research-Oriented School-Engaged Teacher Education (ROSETE) Program was chosen for the case to explore Chinese teachers’ learning in Australia. Translation was employed as a research method by fully using the participants’ and the researcher’s language repertoire, which was instructed by the postmonolingual theorising methodological issue (Singh, 2018). Through collecting and analysing data from 10 participants involved in the program and a supervisor via online semi-structured interviews, the thesis solved the research question: How does practice-based research in Chinese language education conducted through studying abroad in Australia transform the perspectives of novice teacher-researchers from China? The thesis initially structured the postmonolingual theorising framework based on Mezirow’s (1978, 2003) transformative learning. Then, it documented the challenges these teachers faced during their teacher research journey, which were influenced by macro-, meso- and micro-contextual factors. Moreover, it explored how these novice Chinese teachers tackled these challenges in the teacher research process through critical reflective practices. The thesis highlights these Chinese teacher-researchers’ transformative learning outcomes and personal growth, and analogises the transformative learning outcomes with the Chinese concept of 水 (shuǐ, water) to clarify the difference in nature of the learning reality. Significantly, the thesis provides insights into fostering transformative learning through conducting teacher research in studying abroad programs. The preparation of Chinese teacher-researchers contributes to the generation of improved policies for teacher internationalising education, especially for Chinese international language education. Further, it implies that the research-based learning approach can provide valuable insights for decision-making and aid in developing more comprehensive and effective teacher education programs.

Date of Award	2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Western Sydney University
Supervisor	Michele Simons (Supervisor) & Michael Singh (Supervisor)