Professional Development of Language Teachers' Teaching Competencies in Research Universities in Beijing

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: Professional Development for English Language Teachers in U.S., International, and Online Contexts

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the professional development of language teachers’ teaching competencies in research universities. Interviews are conducted to collect data. Informed by the new institutional perspective and the framework of Scholarship of Teaching, this study investigates 16 language teachers from 5 research universities in Beijing. The findings show that language teachers’ teaching competencies weigh more towards researching than teaching practice. Factors influencing language teachers’ teaching competencies range from departmental level to institutional level and beyond. The study is informative to both research universities and language teachers in such universities. Language teachers’ contribution should be fully recognized across the university; reasonable standards to appraise language teachers should be set; language education policies in research universities should be carefully designed.

Authors

• Yi Zhang, Tsinghua University

• Xiumei Liu