Chinese Language Teachers' Pedagogical Beliefs and Self-Reported Implementation of Standards-Based, Learner-Centered Instruction in the United States

Current trends in foreign/world language education in the United States include the application of the Standards for Foreign Language Learning (currently World Readiness Standards for Learning Languages) in learner-centered instructional practices. Recognized nationally as the benchmark for what language learners should know and be able to do, these standards are also part of the ACTFL/NCATE (currently ACTFL/CAEP) Standards for the Preparation of Foreign Language Teachers. Both sets of standards are used as guiding documents for federally funded professional development programs for critical need language teachers that include Chinese.;The recent growth in Chinese language programs has resulted in a shortage of qualified teachers within the United States. To fill the void, school districts have relied on guest teacher programs or have directly recruited teachers from abroad themselves. Although highly proficient in the target language and possessing a deep understanding of their home cultures, international teachers may be unfamiliar with the cultural context of education in U.S. schools that includes implementing standards-based, learner-centered instruction.;This mixed-methods study investigated the pedagogical beliefs and the self-reported instructional practices of Chinese language teachers to determine the extent to which their beliefs and practices aligned with standard-based, learner-centered instruction. The participants attended at least one federally funded, standards-based professional development program and were teaching Chinese in a U.S. classroom at the time of this research. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from 71 Chinese language teachers from across the United States who completed a survey. Additionally, there were 17 teachers who participated in telephone interviews and four teachers who took part in seven classroom observations.;The findings indicated the participants had knowledge of and the ability to implement the SFLL in learner-centered activities and assessments. However, the frequency with which they applied the five domains of the SFLL varied, indicating areas of alignment and incongruence between their pedagogical beliefs and instructional practices. Further analysis revealed the participants were acutely aware of the differences in their home cultures of education and those where they now teach. These differences related to four commonly shared challenges: classroom management, student motivation, use of the target language, and teacher-student relations. The investigation of these challenges and how their beliefs and practices diverged included constructs such as teacher agency, identity, and cognition. As such, different cultural contexts of education should be valued and considered a legitimate mitigating factor between language teachers' pedagogical beliefs and their application of standards-based, learner-centered instruction.