State of the Art of Foreign Language Education

in the People’s Republic of China

Oren E. Moffett Weber State College

ABSTRACT Foreign language education in the People’s Republic of China was profoundly af- fected by the Cultural Revolution (1966- I976), and the current state of the art must be viewed against that backdrop. Foreign language pedagogy has made a remarkable recovery since the overthrow 0.f the Gang of Four in 1976, and educational in- stitutions have made great progress in meeting the desperate needs of the narion fo r linguistics despite

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serious handicaps. A concerted eflirt is being made to overcome shortcomings and to modernize foreign language teaching methods. Given the pro- gress made since [he Cultural Revolution and the momentum built up thus far, and barring further major political upheavals, the People 3 Republic of China should achieve recognition as a leader in foreign language teaching meihodology before the turn of the century.

The Cultural Revolution targets of the young revolutionaries. Many were The current state o f the art of foreign language subjected to a11 manner of humiliation such as the

education in the People’s Republic of China must degradation of endless written self-criticism, public be viewed against the backdrop of the Cultural revilement in theatrical trials, and assignments 10 Revolution, which so profoundly affected every such demeaning tasks as cleaning toilets and facet of Chinese life for a n entire decade vegetable storage cellars. Some of them, seeing no (1966-1976). As a result of the destructive influence hope for the future, committed suicide. of the Gang of Four during this period, young peo- The physical facilities of schools and universities ple were turned radically against education, became were n o longer properly maintained, some activist Red Guards, and stopped studying. All buildings having been converted into prisons for Chinese universities were closed down, and the the “counter-revolutionary’’ faculty. Books, in- students and teachers were sent to the country for struments, and equipment were wantonly “re-education.” destroyed. Research came t o a standstill. Foreign

Teachers in general, and foreign language language teacher training, along with that in many teachers in particular, suspected of being tainted other disciplines, was abolished. by the wicked ways of the West, became special Although a number of universities were permit-

ted to reopen several years later, standards were low. since a requirement was established that students be drawn from workers, peasants, and soldiers. The academic period of four years was shortened to three, and the curriculum was loaded

Foreign Language Annals, 16, No. I . 1983 13

14 FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANNALS

with a preponderance of political indoctrination courses. A number of the present-day foreign language teachers are products of this diluted pro- gram and are currently faced with the difficult task of making up their cultural and academic deficien- cies. This is currently a matter of serious concern to academic administrators.

Recovery With the death of Mao Zedong in 1976 and the

overthrow of the Gang of four, the dark decade of the Cultural Revolution came to a close, and schools, colleges, and universities began reopening. The in- tellectual stagnation and paranoia of external in- fluences of this sterile period gave way to a revival of interest in things foreign, including foreign language study. The development of relations with other coun- tries created a dire need to produce linguists, a situa- tion which was made even more desperate by the critical shortage of qualified foreign language teachers. Added to the poor preparation of language teachers during the latter part of the Cultural Revolu- tion was the fact that not a single course in world history or geography had been taught in any Chinese secondary school for at least seven years during that decade. This was hardly the requisite preparation to meet the needs of the steadily developing cultural relations between China and other countries.

The establishment of diplomatic relations with the United States, with its attendant development of economic and cultural ties served to intensify the sense of urgency to learn English, which continues undiminished to the present. This is evidenced not only by the large number of students currently stu- dying the language in secondary schools and institu- tions of higher learning, but by those pursuing English courses via television, radio, and self-study. A working knowledge of English has become the touchstone for getting ahead and represents mod- ernization in its most pragmatic form. Furthermore, as one observer commented, it is a constructive way to fill the great patches of boredom that go along with too big a population and too little entertainment.

In its goal to create in the shortest possible time an instructional system to teach languages to a large number of students, the schools found themselves faced not only with the task of training new teachers and upgrading the competency of the poorly prepared ones, but also of influencing pre-Cultural Revolution teachers to break with old traditions and to substitute modern techniques for their antiquated pedagogy. Given the natural resistance to change in-

herent in the teaching profession, this was perhaps the most formidable task facing the institutions.

Other serious problems were the critical shortage of up-to-date textbooks and audiovisual equipment, and the need to refurbish and repair run-down buildings. The latter are still visible testimony of the complete indifference toward and total neglect of anything pertaining to education by the government during the Cultural Revolution. Many teachers now needed to go abroad to enhance their linguistic and cultural knowledge and acquaint themselves with the latest teaching techniques, trends, equipment, and textbooks. Foreign experts in teaching methodology needed to be brought in to serve as resource persons and to assist in modernizing language programs. In short, the academic windows needed to be opened and fresh air let in. Let us see what the People’s Republic of China has done to meet these problems during the past five years.

Teacher Training Foreign language teaching methodology courses

are now offered in a number of institutions of higher learning, but primarily in normal colleges and universities. Several prominent universities still do not offer foreign language teacher training pro- grams; however, a few have programs in the plan- ning stage. One reason given for the lack of teacher training is that some educators believe that develop- ing language proficiency is more important than methodology training.

Methodology courses are usually of one semester duration, meeting two hours per week. The con- sensus seems to be that they are rather dull and devoid of significant practical work. The extent of student teaching experience fluctuates widely, rang- ing from one month to six weeks, teaching one to six classes per week, and attending student teacher seminars and discussion groups. Student teaching is supervised by the college or university supervisor on a regular basis.

Graduates of normal colleges generally are assigned to teach in secondary schools; those from normal universities are assigned to colleges, foreign languge institutes, or universities. Students have no assurance that they will be assigned as foreign language teachers after graduation. For example, less than 30 percent of the graduates specializing in teaching at Zhongshan University in Guangzhou (Canton) are given teaching assignments. Some are placed as interpreters and translators in industry or government. They are not offered a choice and stoically accept whatever position they are as- signed to by the government.

FEBRUARY 1983 15

There is no specialization for teaching foreign languages in the elementary schools. In fact, foreign languages (usually English) are taught at a relatively few such schools and only in the large cities, and there are no plans to expand the pro- gram. The Ministry of Education estimates it will take 50 years to meet all the foreign language teacher shortages.

Foreign language teachers are brought in from the provinces to several central locations for a period of several months intensive inservice train- ing in methodology. Nankai University (Tientsin) has its own four-month inservice training program taught by four faculty members from Temple University. Special clinics conducted by faculty from abroad are also held in central locations, usually during the summer.

From 20 to 25 percent of foreign language facul- ty are sent abroad for study and experience. Although there is no provision for sending undergraduate or graduate students abroad at government expense, a number of them currently are studying in foreign universities, financed by scholarships or by other means.

Enrollment and Curriculum The average population of larger Chinese univer-

sities is 4,000 students, which Chinese educators believe should be quadrupled. However, it should be noted that enrollments are not only dependent on the number of faculty and the classroom space, but on the student housing capacity, since all university students (and most secondary school students) live in dormitories on campus. Due to the limited facilities, only four percent of high school graduates can be accommodated in any one year in the colleges of the PRC, hence there is a stiff entrance examination. This test was restored throughout the country in 1977, and has a foreign language portion which had in the past been given a weight of 50 percent. Present plans are to raise this to 100 percent. The two-year foreign language requirement for both the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Science Degrees has given added im- portance to foreign language study.

The foreign language curriculum varies with the institution. A wide spectrum of languages (total- ing 15). including Chinese as a second language, is offered by the Beijing (Peking) Language In- stitute, with fewer languages available at other in- stitutions. Offerings include Western European, Eastern European, and Afro-Asian languages. English is predominant, with Japanese second, followed by French, German and Spanish. Russian is one of the least popular, and many Russian

teachers are being reprogrammed into other languages. German enjoys greater popularity in Shanghai due to the language’s utility in that foreign trade center. First choice of a language is dependent on government needs, both local and na- tional. Students generally take a second foreign language, and in some cases it is required, e.g., Nanjing (Nanking) University, where English ma- jors must also study French.

While even the B.A. degree is still in the plan- ning stage in certain institutions, M.A. and Ph.D. degrees are offered to language majors in others, but only on a limited basis at present.

Out of a total load of around 20 hours, students have an average of 12 contact hours per week in foreign languages for the four-year undergraduate study. Since they generally enter the university with four to six years of secondary school foreign language study, they do not take a beginning course, but “basic” or “remedial” instruction for the first two years. The average class size is 15 in the universities and often in excess of 50 in the elementary schools.

Foreign Language Textbooks and Equipment There is an acute shortage of suitable up-to-date

foreign language textbooks. Most of the English materials are of British origin, and although based on sound pedagogical principles, they are somewhat outdated and contain a good deal of typically British usages and stilted, almost affected, and definitely 19th century upper-class accent, com- plete with the exaggerated intonation patterns. The students devote much time listening to taped material which they mimic almost to perfection.

The Beijing (Peking) Language Institute has been very active in the field of textbook preparation and has produced some excellent up-to-date materials, particularly for teaching Chinese as a second language. Current vocabulary and usages are in- troduced, all the simplifications of Chinese characters which have been officially published are employed, and up-to-date methodology is used.

Many universities have replaced their obsolete jury-rigged audio equipment with modern Japanese language labs and classroom units. Modern duplicating machines are still rare in China and reproduction of material can be rather tedious. Good quality overhead projectors, made in China, exist but are not yet widely used. Small projectors, using glass-mounted transparencies are a fairly common sight in the secondary school foreign language classrooms, however.

One American observer likened the Chinese classrooms to the old one-room schoolhousedesk

16 FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANNALS

for two, backless bench, all lined up in straight rows facing the teacher, who stands on a small platform behind a podium. On rare occasions one sees desks arranged in a semicircle. Classrooms and hallways are often shabby, poorly illuminated, and in various stages of disrepair. However, there are noticeable exceptions, such as the Beijing (Peking) Language Institute and certain showpiece high schools visited by foreign educators. Housing in the form of apartments is available on campus for most of the faculty and staff. Furnishings are austere, however.

Foreign Language Students Students a t all levels appear to be highly

motivated, very bright, and extremely conscien- tious. They have only one purpose: to study. This is particularly true at the university level where the students represent the cream of the crop of the high school graduting classes by reason of the rigid en- trance examination. Students have few distractions, and although they are crowded into dormitories with no privacy, they accept these conditions, realizing that they have no alternative, and that, after all, they are better off than they would be a t home.

Eager to learn, they fully realize the primary pur- pose of learning a language-to communicate- and they seize every opportunity to practice the foreign language, speaking without any hesitancy to any susceptible foreigner. The quality of the spoken language is surprisingly good and imitative ability is amazing. There are n o disciplinary prob- lems a t any level.

Foreign Language Faculty Despite the fact that no faculty studied abroad

during the Cultural Revolution and only a relatively small percentage have had the opportunity since 1976, they speak with surprising fluency and cor- rectness and generally are well grounded in the culture of the language. There is a keen competi- tion for the limited number of vacancies to go abroad.

The average teaching load is 5-6 hours a week, except for younger faculty who teach up t o 10 hours. Pay is good by Chinese standards, ranging from 70-300 yuan ($49-$210) a month, according to rank and age. Low-rent housing and a bicycle maintenance allowance are fringe benefits. Depart- ment chairment are appointed for life and have no fined retirement age, which unfortunately precludes younger, more vigorous and progressive individuals from assuming the position.

A total of 70 faculty from foreign countries, referred t o as “foreign experts,” are employed by the P R C in a number of key Chinese universities as teachers of their native language and of certain specialties. They enjoy perquisites of more com- modious living quarters, more ample offices and better heating. They have a teaching load of ap- proximately 16 hours a week.

Teaching Methodology The quality of foreign language teaching

methodology in the PRC, as in the United States, varies with the teacher and with the opportunity to learn proper techniques. As pointed out above, foreign language teaching methodology courses- where they exist-leave much t o be desired. Many progressive teachers have learned about any of a number of approaches but are often in a quandary as to which one to adopt. Most of them agree that the old grammar translation technique is out- moded and ineffective and that regardless of the approach used the ultimate goal should be to develop communicative competence.

Direct observation of a broad spectrum of foreign language teaching in some 25 institutions at levels ranging from elementary school to univer- sities, in cities extending from Beijing (Peking) and Tianjin (Tientsin) in the north to Guangzhou (Can- ton) in the south and Kunming in the southwest, revealed that many teachers followed sound pedagogical practices. These provided for max- imum student involvement and student-generated activities, with a variety of imaginative com- municative exercises. Major shortcomings were the inability of some teachers to keep in the target language, the predominance of teacher-talk over student-talk, the complete absence or lack of a variety of visual aids, and at advanced levels the proclivity to use the tradition-bound lecture tech- nique. This latter practice will be hard to change since administrators, instructors, and students alike seem to be enamored of it.

Conclusion In China’s national push for modernization there

is much evidence that foreign language educators are making a concerted effort t o update foreign language teaching methods. In this endeavor they are taking a n eclectic approach as they study tech- niques employed in Europe and the United States. They appear to be aware of the need to break old traditions while modernizing techniques and upgrading teaching materials and equipment. Bar- ring another Cultural Revolution or other major

FEBRUARY 1983 17

political upheaval, the People’s Republic of China should become recognized as one of the leaders in foreign language teaching methodology before the turn of the century.

NEH Grant to Strengthen the Humanities Through Foreign Language

and Literature Programs Dr. Claire Gaudiani announces a major project,

“Strengthening the Humanities Through Foreign Language and Literature Programs,” funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through a series of four regional conferences and the establishment of eighty permanent foreign language centers, the grant proposes:

(2) to create a mechanism for the ongoing regional collaboration of secondary and postsecondary foreign language instructors.

(3) to stress the importance of the improved teaching of reading, writing, critical think- ing, and self-awareness in the foreign language and literature classroom to the en- tire humanities curriculum.

(4) to create a model for other humanities faculty members.

A number of secondary and postsecondary foreign language and literature faculty members have agreed to serve as consultants.

Departments interested in participating in this project should contact Dr. Claire Gaudiani, CGS, Logan Hal l , University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, P A 19104.0

(1) to create a sense of local responsibility for the quality of professional foreign language activities by using the existing models of the county bar associations and medical societies.

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