Chinese Language Teachers’ Pedagogical Adjustment and Classroom Management in Cross-Cultural Contexts

Abstract

As Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) becomes increasingly popular in U.S. schools, an increasing number of schools are recruiting teachers from China to teach Chinese to American students. These teachers often come without any prior experiences in the U.S. or its classrooms and with culturally different teaching styles and expectations. This chapter focuses on reviewing current research on the challenges Chinese teachers face in cross-cultural language teaching, their classroom management experiences, as well as their pedagogical adjustment in the U.S. and around the world. It begins by reviewing instructional practices and classroom management styles in China and the U.S. This is followed by a summary of existing studies on Chinese language teachers’ classroom management experiences and pedagogical adjustment in American schools. Following this, implications for teachers, teacher education, and professional development for CFL education in the U.S. are discussed. The chapter concludes with a summary and suggestions for future research directions.