The Role of Communicative Language Teaching in China

Xie Yuan-yuan

【Abstract】This assignment explores the adoption of communicative language teaching in China. The first part presents the different views from the literature. The second part gives an overview of challenges to the use of CLT in China. The paper will then go onto discusses possible solutions suggested by other writers. In the final section， key factors in the resistance that CLT encounters will be examined from the angle of Chinese learning and teaching culture.

【Keywords】communicative language teaching； role； China

【中圖分類號】H31 【文獻標識碼】A 【文章編號】2095-3089（2016）03-0127-01

The methodology of English teaching in China has undergone the stages from structural approaches to communicative approaches. Since CLT was introduced in China， it has affected the field of English language teaching. However， it does not tend to work wonders as expected. The adoption of CLT is widely constrained in the environment of China.

A number of researchers analysed the various factors in the failure of the application of CLT. On the whole， there are five main reasons such as “the economy， administration， culture， population and teachers academic ability”. The low incomes of English teachers make them take a second or third teaching job so that they have no time or energy to rethink their classroom methodologies. As for the administration factor， the examination-oriented teaching may lead to the difficulty of the implementation of CLT. Culturally speaking， the ideology of CLT contradicts Chinese culture in the aspect of teachers role as a knowledge-transmitter and a classroom dictator. Apart from this， large-size classes and a lack of qualified English teachers are also inhibiting factors. College English Classes of 60-150 students make the implementation of CLT very difficult. Apart from this， most Chinese English teachers are less proficient in English and they are less familiar with the western culture compared to English native speaker teachers.

In order to overcome the obstacles， the importance of teacher training should be highlighted. As well as this， test reform plays a key role in tackling the problem. According to Liao （2000）， English Test in the National College Entrance Exam has transformed from simply assessing language usage to test communicative skills.Furthermore， some current research encourages a combination of the traditional method and the communication approach. This is called “eclectic approach” （Kumaravadivelu， 2003）.

No matter whether it is an eclectic approach or a simple adoption of communicative approach， they may only be plausible in theory. The realisation of them seems to be a utopian vision. Take IELTS for example， IELTS （International English Language Test System） is a test designed to assess the communicative language ability of students who need to work or study overseas. The import of IELTS in China is thought to bring new improvement on teaching methodology as well as students language skills. However， the situation is not satisfactory. A growing number of training organisations are established with the teaching methodology only focusing on the preparation for the test. Apart from this， many Chinese websites provide students who are going to take IELTS with test questions memorised by hired test-takers. In this way， students can prepare， memorise and regurgitate answers. Therefore， a traditional Chinese learning method of memorisation still dominates.

The reason for this situation， in my opinion， is that the cultural factors which inhibit the implementation of communicative approach are neglected. It can not be denied that authority and silence of Confucian heritage culture is deep-rooted so that a simple import of western methodology does not seem to be reasonable.

From what have been analysed， it can be concluded that teachers and students are largely influenced by Confucian education practice that has thousands of history. Therefore， a simple implementation of CLT or a combination of the traditional method and the communicative approach does not appear to be satisfactory. Fundamental differences of views on knowledge between West and East may hinder the development of CLT in China. Whether English language teaching community can enter the final stage of culture shock is still questioned by many researchers. If a pure adoption of CLT does not work， perhaps individual teacher developing appropriate methodologies depending on the concrete situation will work well. That means they should not simply use the western method and criticise and abandon the traditional approach. Instead， they could adapt and develop the current methods to meet the actual needs. However， it is borne in mind that a balance should be taken account between the outer environment and the approaches that they use.

References

[1]Kumaravadivelu，B.（2003）.Beyond Methods： Macrostrategies for Language Teaching. New Haven and London： Yale University Press.

[2]Liao，Q.X.（2000）. How Communicative Language Teaching Becomes Acceptable in China. Retrieved November 29， from http：//iteslj.org/Articles/Liao-CLTinChina.html

作者簡介：

謝苑苑，女，浙江杭州人，浙江中醫藥大學，碩士研究生，研究方向：跨文化交際。