A Survey Study of Chinese Primary English Teachers’ Experience with the Implementation of TBLT PhD candidate: Suxian Zhan Supervisor: Dr. Greg Robertson Australian Centre for Educational Studies (ACES), Macquarie University 5th International Conference on ELT in China, May 16-21, 2007,Beijing, China

Outline of my presentation Introduction & literature review Research questions Study design Research findings Discussions and implications

Background & Literature Review Promoted TBLT in the Chinese context in 2001(MoE, 2001,2003) Limited studies of TBLT in the EFL context Mismatch between the formal intentions and classroom practices (Adamson & Davison, 2003) Barriers and difficulties in the implementation of TBLT or CLT (Carless, 1997,1998,1999, 2003,2004; Gahin & Myhill, 2001; Lamie, 2004; Lemjinda, 2003; Li, 1998; Zhang, 2005)

What are the barriers to teachers’ implementation? Personal factors: lack of teacher ownership in the change process (Kennedy, 1987) and lack of good understanding of the innovation (Carless, 2004; Zhang, 2005) Micro-contextual factors: lack of support (e.g. Carless, 1998; Fullan, 2001; Kennedy, 1996; Morris, 1985) and professional devepmloent program (PDP) in the process of change implementation (e.g. Cheng & Wang, 2004; Zhang, 2005) Macro-contextual factors: the incompatibility of local culture with the innovation (Carless, 1999; Hu,2002)

PDP program These barriers might be overcome if PDP program addresses teachers’ needs and supports them in the process of their implementation (Lamie, 2004). The effective PDP appears to be effective and ‘workable’ (Fullan, 2001), a) if it is attentive to teachers’ needs and coherent with local contextual factors (Cheng & Wang, 2004; Markee, 1997; Pennington, 1995) b) if it is organized in a cooperative way (Bolam et al, 2005; Hargreaves & Fullan, 1992 ) to engage teachers in long-term active professional learning activities (e.g. Garet et al, 2001).

PDP program Content features 1: What is the content focus of the program? 2: Does the program involve teachers’ active learning? 3: Is the program coherent with contextual factors? Structural features 1. What kind of form of activities is organized? 2. How long will the program continue? 3. Is the program organized in a collaborative way? (Garet, Porter & Desimone, 2001)

Research questions What kind of a PDP is perceived as being helpful by teachers to overcome barriers to implementing TBLT? Q1: What kind of barriers have teachers faced when implementing TBLT? Q2: What kind of professional activities have they participated in and perceived as helpful to learn about TBLT? Q3:How would they like to be supported in learning about and implementing TBLT? Q4: What aspects of TBLT would they like to learn more about in the PDP?

Study design Participants 388 participants Questionnaire Part of questionnaire Process Sampling Investigating process

Research findings What barriers teachers faced (Q1) What kind of professional development activities teachers participated in and thought helpful (Q2) How teachers would like to be supported to learn about TBLT (Q3) What aspects they would like to know more about TBLT (Q4)

What barriers teachers faced (Q1) Not barriers for teachers 1.Clarity of the English syllabus 2. Workload 3. English language ability 4. Time Barriers for teachers 1.Knowledge of TBLT 2.Students’ English language ability 3. The availability of quality resources 4. Large class sizes as barriers.

What kind of professional development activities teachers participated in and thought helpful (Q2) 1.Their personal research/enquiry 2.Working collaboratively with their peers 3.Formally evaluated by inspectors from the LEA

How they would like to be supported in learning about and implementing TBLT(Q3) Four favored activities 1.Working collaboratively with other teachers inside their schools 2. Working collaboratively with other teachers outside their schools 3. Personal research 4. Supervision by senior teachers

The aspects of TBLT they would like to learn more about (Q4) Two aspects of TBLT 1.The objectives of the curriculum 2.Appropriate roles for teachers and learners in the task-based classes

Discussions and implications Content features of PDP “whys” and “hows” of TBLT linking with the syllabus Structural features of PDP collaboration (Hargreaves, 2003) professional learning activities (Hoban, 2002; Lieberman, 1995) support and mentor teachers in long-term professional development program (Fullan, 1993, 2001; Lamie, 2004) Implication for the setting up and sustaining professional learning community (PLC) in the top-down initiative change process (Hargreaves, 2003; Stoll et al, 2006)

Thank you! Email: Suxian.Zhan@aces.mq.edu.au