Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc.

(TESOL)

English Language Teaching in China: Trends and Challenges

Author(s): Yi'An Wu
Source: TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 35, No. 1 (Spring, 2001), pp. 191-194
Published by: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL)
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Wu, Yian. (2001). English Language Teaching in China: Trends and Challenges. TESOL Quarterly, 35/1, 191-194.

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TEACHING ISSUES

TESOL Quarterly publishes brief commentaries on aspects of English lan

teaching. For this issue, we asked two educators to comment on current c

for TESOL in China.

Edited by BONNY NORTON

University of British Columbia

TESOL in China: Current Challenges

English Language Teaching in China:
Trends and Challenges
YI'AN WU

Beijing Foreign Studies University

Beijing, People's Republic of China

* Learning English in a Chinese language environment is a

daunting task. Millions of EFL learners' take regular English co

4 class hours a week, 18 weeks a term, for 12 terms in high school a

8 terms at university. For those not majoring in English, the goal
function adequately in English at work, but not many have develop

necessary competence. In fact, although English language teac

(ELT) is a huge profession in the process of reform and renovat

seems to fall far short of meeting the needs generated from the cou
rapid developments in the economy, science, and technology, and f
increasing contact with the outside world (Qin, 1999). As a conseque

the importance of English at all levels of education canno

overemphasised.

Although English education may not be able to keep up with the

for it, over the years Chinese universities have provided tens of tho

of competent English users, a great majority of these having

English majors educated in over 300 intensive English program

However, this number is actually rather small relative to China's n

1There are more than 200 million primary and high school pupils in China. In Sep
2000, 2 million school leavers were enrolled in universities.

TESOL QUARTERLY Vol. 35, No. 1, Spring 2001

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191

and compared with the huge number of young adults trying to master
English in addition to their other areas of study. Programmes designed
for majors face a different challenge. A recent large-scale investigation

(He, Yin, Huang, & Liu, 1999), initiated by the Higher Education

Division of the Ministry of Education, reveals that in general the

country's need for foreign language workers equipped with target
language skills alone has dropped to zero. All foreign language majors

are expected to develop knowledge of other areas in addition to

competence in a foreign language. The Ministry of Education responded

quickly to the need for English for students across disciplines by

organizing major curriculum reviews for schools and for major and

nonmajor English programmes at universities nationwide. Long-distance

ELT and English on-line programmes are joining forces with formal ELT
programmes in attempting to upgrade English proficiency levels across

the nation. The ELT profession has felt the impact throughout the

country, where many people are demanding reform.

In what follows, I outline what I see as the dominant trends of reform.
I also discuss the accompanying challenges, with a view to appealing for
support and efforts to promote ELT in China and for research in formal

English language learning in a nontarget language environment.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PLANNING

In recent years, English has been introduced into the prim

curriculum in an increasing number of cities across China

being made to plan a two-stage learning process consis

primary/junior high/senior high stage and the university st

cover a total span of 14-16 years. Ideally, the learning proces

a cumulative one with varying subgoals and approaches fo

stages, necessarily constrained by the developmental char

the learners' cognitive growth and their learning environmen

the reformers are still far from knowing a sound basis on w
the sequence of learning. Nor do curriculum reformers have

evaluating the planning yet. An added complication is tha

country like China, any planning has to accommodate the
development in English proficiency levels among the learner

is needed to address these curriculum and evaluation issues.

TEACHER EDUCATION

Administrators and teachers themselves are increasingly a

is teachers who hold the key to the outcome of reform and
ELT. Teacher education has received increasing attention,
university EFL teachers, who in general have not been tr
192

TESOL QUARTERLY

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profession. The Ministry of Education, teachers' universities, leading

linguistics and applied linguistics programmes, and ELT publishers have
all been involved in organizing training programmes, and teachers are
eager to take advantage of the opportunities.

But questions remain about how to develop teacher education

programmes most effectively. What are suitable models of teacher

development in China, where there is an acute shortage of ELT teachers

and the need for development is often threefold-in (a) English

proficiency levels; (b) knowledge about language in general, English in

particular, and language learning; and (c) language teaching philosophies and methodology? What are we as TESOL professionals in China
to draw from our own traditional ELT and from contemporary theories,
research findings, and trends of practice in the profession? How can we
best organize research with a view to meeting the challenges we face?
These seem urgent questions to take up before teacher education can
significantly affect ELT in China.
MATERIALS

Textbooks are essential in formal ELT in China. They pro

suggest approaches and methodology, and guide or impose th
learning. Materials also offer education of a sort. The major c
reviews and the subsequent launching of new curricula call for

materials that frame and support systematic, efficient, an

English language learning. ELT publishers and teachers hav
to respond to the need.

Challenges to material writing include (a) a shortage

materials, (b) a lack of full understanding of Chinese learners

process in the formal school environment, and (c) the need to
traditional and multimedia materials effectively. To meet the

lenge, in recent years Chinese publishers and publishers

English-speaking countries have tended to form collaborat
ships. More crucially, though, material writers need to b
informed in relevant theories and research findings conc
guage teaching and learning, in task design, and in prin
methods that work in the traditional language teaching parad
ASSESSMENT

As a form of assessment, language testing is especially influ

education in China. Indeed, large-scale exams whose design

structuralism and whose format is predominantly multiple ch

been found to constrain language teaching in a rather nega

Teachers and administrators demand improvements in tes
TEACHING ISSUES

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193

While
While
existing
existing
test designs
test designs
are being are
improved,
beingorganized
improved,
efforts
organized
have
eff

been
beendirected
directed
to alternative,
to alternative,
more task-based
more test
task-based
designs guided
testbydesign
contemporary
contemporary
language
language
testing theories.
testingUnlike
theories.
the earlier
Unlike
tests,the
these
earlier
new
newtests
tests
givegive
due attention
due attention
to speaking
toand
speaking
writing. They
and are
writing.
designed They ar
with
witha view
a view
to promoting
to promoting
learning. learning.
Formative assessment
Formative
has been
assessment
a
means
means
of of
teaching
teaching
for many
forexperienced
many experienced
language teachers
language
over theteache
years,
years,
butbut
little
little
research
research
has been has
conducted
beenon
conducted
formative assessment
on formative
in
ass
China
China
and
and
abroad.
abroad.
There There
seems a need
seems
for asuch
need
research
for such
to complement
research to com
language
language
testing.
testing.
RESEARCH

All the trends outlined above, however immature or robust, must

depend upon systematic research and informed practice to sustain and

bloom. To upgrade ELT in China and to contribute to the TESOL field,

China will need to organize nationwide research teams in each of the
subareas of study and to draw on international expertise. Initial efforts
are being made toward this end.
THE AUTHOR

Yi'an Wu holds a Cambridge PhD in applied linguistics and is profes

director of the National Research Centre for Foreign Language Ed
Beijing Foreign Studies University. She has published in second l
tion, language testing, and curriculum design.
REFERENCES

He, Q., Yin, T., Huang, Y., & Liu, H. (1999). Thoughts on reform

majors. Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 117, 24-28.

Qin, J. (1999). The status quo of FLT at tertiary level. Foreign Langua
Research, 117, 3-6.

Communicative Language Teaching in China:

Progress and Resistance
LIMING YU

Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Shanghai, People's Republic of China

* It has been more than two decades since the communicati

teaching (CLT) approach was introduced to the Chinese fo
guage community, affecting tens of millions of Chinese
194

TESOL QUARTERLY

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