Reading aloud in ELT in China: an interview-based investigation and its implications

ABSTRACT

Although much has been discussed about the use of reading aloud (RA) outside China, it has been one of the least investigated learning/teaching behaviours in ELT in China. The paper reports the results of a series of semi-structured interviews, in which learners and teachers were invited to identify the reasons and problems in the use of RA in their learning and teaching practice. The identified reasons and problems are considered in the discourse of linguistic, cultural-historical and educational contexts in China. The study reveals that the use of RA in ELT in China is not congruent with the recent development trend of research on RA in the literature. The paper argues that foreign language policy and practice decisions in China should be more guided and informed by robust research results than cultural conservatism encouraged by increasingly inflated national pride.

KEYWORDS:

• Reading aloud
• traditional pedagogy
• ELT in China
• cultural conservatism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The Gang of Four was a political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes. The Gang of Four was labeled one of the major ‘counter-revolutionary forces’ of the Cultural Revolution and officially blamed by the Chinese government for the worst excesses of the societal chaos that ensued during the ten years of turmoil. The term was borrowed by Harvey (1985: 183) to refer to ‘rote learning, memorization, grammatical analysis and intensive reading’ when a crusading communicative force was intent upon stamping out the ‘linguistic gang of four’ in the true Chinese sense of the word.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Southwest University of Political Science and Law [2017XZTZ-07, 2017XZZD-08, 2017XZZXYB-30].