Abstract
Today, English has become a global language and the teaching of it as a foreign or second language has become increasingly challenging. China, the world’s most populous country, has a significant English language learning population and has attracted the attention of researchers who are at the frontier of English language education. Although extensive research has been carried out on English language teaching and learning in China as whole, no single study exists which adequately covers English language education of ethnic minorities, especially Tibetans, and other less numerous ethnic minorities generally located in the Southwest of China. English is a recent addition to the curriculum for Tibetans. Their English level is regarded as being basic, and they are underrepresented in higher education compared to Han students in the People’s Republic of China. Therefore, maintaining the quality of English Language programs, and English teachers who understand students’ cultural backgrounds and use appropriate teaching approaches are crucial for Tibetan students in their quest to access and become proficient in the English language. Access to such programs and teachers, and the higher level of English that they enable, will improve Tibetan students’ access to higher education, and will also improve English language education in Tibet as whole. This qualitative research project investigates the elements of a quality English as a Foreign Language program for Tibetan students in the People’s Republic of China. It presents the elements that constitute a quality English as a Foreign Language program and the elements involved in the implementation of quality English as a Foreign Language teaching and learning in this program as evidenced in the data from semi-structured interviews with three teachers and six students, classroom observations, and the English Language Program document analysis.
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