A qualitative case study on Chinese secondary school EFL teachers’ beliefs about intercultural foreign language teaching

Abstract

This paper reports on a qualitative case study of four secondary school EFL teachers’ beliefs about intercultural foreign language teaching (IFLT) in the Chinese context. Based on within-case analysis and cross-case analysis of semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and teaching materials, the study discusses the four participants’ common beliefs and personalized beliefs and identifies a gap between the teachers’ folk understandings of IFLT and the guidelines proposed by academia. Drawing on the analyses, a dynamic system of the teachers’ beliefs about IFLT is proposed, which is composed of of beliefs about culture and language, beliefs about intercultural teaching in EFL, beliefs about EFL learners, and beliefs about teachers’ themselves. Furthermore, the study proposes effective intervention strategies in teacher education and professional development to change teachers’ beliefs and facilitate intercultural teaching practices in secondary EFL classrooms.

Cited as:

Wu, S. A qualitative case study on Chinese secondary school EFL teachers’ beliefs about intercultural foreign language teaching. Education and Lifelong Development Research, 2024, 1(3): 125-134. https://doi.org/10.46690/elder.2024.03.03

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