Decolonizing TESOL Teacher Education: Neoliberal and Colonial Dynamics in Chinese EFL Teachers’ Overseas Learning Journeys

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 7:45 am - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Beyond Neutrality: Decolonizing English Language Teacher Education

Abstract

This qualitative study adopts a decolonial lens to explore how neoliberal and colonial ideologies shape Chinese EFL teachers’ experiences in Western TESOL master’s programs. Drawing from surveys, interviews, course assignments, and field notes of seven returnee teachers, preliminary findings indicate that neoliberal motivations—such as enhancing employability and linguistic-cultural capital—drive their overseas studies. However, participants encountered significant challenges, including inadequate academic support, large class sizes, and pressure to conform to Western-centric pedagogies, reflecting colonial power dynamics in knowledge production. The study underscores the need to critically examine and transform language teacher education programs by centering diverse epistemologies, foregrounding student teachers’ local realities, and creating supportive environments responsive to multilingual and multicultural contexts.

Author

• Fan Yang, Pennsylvania State University