A Comparative Study Of Online And Offline International Chinese Novice Teachers’ Practical Knowledge

Since the outbreak of Newcastle Pneumonia,global online teaching has triggered a huge change in the field of international Chinese language education,and the practical knowledge of international Chinese language teachers has been updated and enriched.Teachers’ personal practical knowledge is the main knowledge base for teachers’ professional development;therefore,a comparative study of the types,strengths and weaknesses of the practical knowledge presented by both online novice teachers and offline novice teachers in actual teaching,and an analysis of the factors affecting its generation and development have important theoretical and practical implications for the professional development of international Chinese teachers.To achieve the above research objectives,this paper examines the practical knowledge presented by novice teachers in their actual teaching in both online and offline delivery modes through three research methods: the stimulated recall method,the interview method,and the comparative analysis method,based on constructivist theory and the concepts related to the practical knowledge of international Chinese teachers.The transcribed texts of the natural reports of two novice teachers from each of the online and offline modes when they watched the videos of my basic speaking course were used as the objects of the study.The transcribed texts were compiled and summarized by using Nvivo software,and combined with classroom observations to compare and analyze the similarities and differences in the overall structure of the novice teachers’ practical knowledge and the strengths and weaknesses of the development levels of specific categories between the online and offline modes,and to explore the influencing factors through follow-up interviews,from The study also explored the factors that influence the development of novice teachers through follow-up interviews,and made feasible suggestions for improving the practical knowledge of international Chinese novice teachers in two aspects: online novice teachers and offline novice teachers.The study found that:Novice teachers both online and offline generated seven areas of practical knowledge,including knowledge about subject content,knowledge about the teacher’s self,knowledge about students,knowledge about curriculum and lesson types,knowledge about teaching strategies,knowledge about the medium of instruction,and knowledge about the teaching environment.Each of the seven categories of practical knowledge presented by novice teachers online and offline has its own strengths and weaknesses in actual teaching.For example,in terms of knowledge about the medium of instruction,novice online teachers use it more frequently and have more teaching tools than novice offline teachers;and in terms of knowledge about students,novice offline teachers use it more often and in greater numbers than novice online teachers and have a better teacher-student relationship.Among the factors influencing the generation and development of novice teachers’ practical knowledge,subjective factors such as personal practical experience and experience,post-class reflection and summation,and personal attitudes and perceptions formed the basis for the development of novice teachers’ knowledge about the teaching environment and knowledge about teachers’ selves online.On the contrary,the five aspects of offline novice teachers’ knowledge about subject content were more influenced by objective factors such as courses offered by schools,international Chinese education-related competitions,and training at internship sites.Based on the above findings,the paper concludes with strategies and suggestions on how to improve novice teachers’ practical knowledge development from two perspectives: online novice teachers and offline novice teachers.Online novice teachers should pay more attention to their students,develop a positive mindset,and enhance their learning awareness,while schools and society can enhance the practical knowledge of international Chinese teachers in various ways,such as increasing teaching practice opportunities and improving volunteer training models.Offline novice teachers should familiarize themselves with the teaching environment in advance,while schools and the community should provide more relevant courses and create a platform for sharing practical knowledge.