| During a time of increased globalization and economic growth in China,support for English as a second language amongst Chinese students has increased.China has had an influx of native English teachers from countries such as the United States,Canada,and England searching for teaching jobs.Though more foreign English teachers are immigrating to China,there is a notable absence of research on foreign English teachers in China.This study addresses this by designing an intercultural training(ICT)program for foreign English teachers of Ambright Year in China(AYC).AYC is a company that recruits native English teachers to teach in Chinese public middle schools,through advertisement,college visits,and job fairs.The teachers of AYC are often recent graduates with limited teaching experience and little to no Chinese language ability.Before dispatching teachers to their prospective schools,AYC first holds a week long Orientation,which provides teachers with TEFL and IC training and the necessary information to live in China.This study examines how the current IC training provided during AYC orientation affects the adaptation of AYC teachers to life in China,as well as how to develop an effective cross-cultural program for the teachers of AYC.A mixed method approach of qualitative and quantitative methods was used through survey and interview.The data collected by surveying participants of the 2018 AYC Orientation and conducting in-depth interviews on their adaptation process contributed to the needs assessment.The needs assessment shows that the 2018 Orientation was successful in training on classroom topics,but more time should be spent on intercultural topics,such as adaptation and acculturation,culture shock,homesickness,and loneliness.The two goals and objectives are created for the IC training from needs assessment,which are to improve the ICC of the participants of AYC Orientation,as well as aide in the adaptation of the AYC teachers.The author then proposes a training program for the English teachers of AYC,following the six stages of the ADDIE model.The program is then evaluated by the interviewees from 2018 Orientation,through a review of the program and a second round of interviews.The response to the program was positive,other than the additional hour added at the end of each session.The evaluation found that the proposed program design was an improvement from 2018,causing for an implementation of the design at the September 2019 Orientation.The findings of the implementation will be included through interview of Orientation administrative and participants.The data from training evaluation will be acquired through pre-test and post-test of Chen and Stratosta’s Intercultural Sensitivity Scale. |
