Perspectives on Learning Environment and Learners: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Chinese and American Teachers

• In Event: IRC Paper Session 1

Abstract

Two teacher educators, one Chinese American and the other Chinese, collaborated in this comparative and reflective inquiry to examine literacy education beliefs of 44 American teachers and 40 Chinese teachers. Data included these teachers’ self-reported written narratives about their beliefs and practices in literacy education. The study is grounded in international comparative studies in teaching and teacher education. An inductive content analysis of data, along with double coding, revealed themes in teachers’ disciplinary and pedagogical beliefs. In this paper, we will present these themes, along with an analysis of social-cultural factors that shaped the differences in teachers’ beliefs and practices.

Authors

• Yang Hu, Hunter College, City University of New York

• Beifei Dong, East China Normal University