From Action To Understanding:Exploring The Practical Knowledge Construction Of Chinese As A Second Language(CSL) Teachers

The vigorous development of the international education of Chinese language calls for more theoretical and empirical research on teacher development.Practical knowledge is the major knowledge base of teachers' professional development.Much of Second language(L2)teachers' practical knowledge research has focused on L2 English education in western contexts.The present study explores Chinese as a second language(CSL)teachers' practical knowledge in a Chinese university context.Adopting qualitative case study as the approach,the present study selected three CSL teachers as participants to explore the content of practical knowledge,the features of the teachers' practical knowledge construction,and the factors affecting teachers'practical knowledge construction.The present study adopted an interpretive paradigm and a multiple case approach.Classroom observation,in-depth interviews,informal conversations,documentation and classroom artifacts were the main data sources collected and analyzed in the present study.The major findings are as follows.Based on the findings,the study identifies four core knowledge categories of the three CSL teachers' practical knowledge.Pedagogical content knowledge(PCK),knowledge of subject matter,knowledge of self and knowledge of students are integrated into an interactive and coherent amalgam.With a higher degree of inclusiveness,PCK is understood as a complex of knowledge of Chinese language pedagogy,general pedagogical knowledge,and curriculum knowledge.All four categories are interlinked,interacted with each other,and influenced the teachers'daily teaching practice.The data analysis and interpretation also reveal that the teachers construct their practical knowledge in a situated,reflective,interactive way.When the teachers are confronted with a specific problem situation triggered by internal or external stimuli,they carry out self-interaction and reflective practice.Interaction with external context is implemented in different ways.When the teachers interact in an interpersonal context,they conduct everyday communication with students or peer teachers.When the teachers interact with communities,they participate in different academic activities and negotiate with their teaching and research peers.During the interactive process,students' feedback information,peer teachers' expertise and emotional support function as scaffolding in the construction of teachers' practical knowledge.The teachers initiate reflective practice when confronted with problem situations,and they employ interactive policies with students,peer teachers and other stakeholders.This dynamic implies that the construction of teachers' practical knowledge conforms to the context principles.The practical knowledge construction also demonstrates a staged focus.The teachers in an early career stage shift their focus from theoretical knowledge to situated pedagogical knowledge,including techniques of optimizing teaching materials and micro teaching skills such as classroom management.The teachers in an expert career stage focus on students' study experiences and the establishment of a high-quality student-teacher relationship.The findings also suggest that among the factors influencing the teachers'practical knowledge construction,the teachers' overseas teaching and learning experience,professional agency,expertise background and knowledge base constitute the personal internal foundation.The institution culture,teaching administration,and learners with various cultural backgrounds constitute the external media while national Chinese educational policies,international academic exchange opportunities,and traditional cultures constitute the sociocultural environment.Based on the findings,the study put forward a tentative theoretical model about CSL teachers' practical knowledge construction.The model proposes that the practical knowledge construction is a complex and dynamic process,which involves the interplay of teachers'prior experience and knowledge,the situated teaching context and the macro sociocultural environment.The model provides implications for the improvement of CSL teachers' professional development and sheds light on future related studies.