A Brief Review of the Present Situation and Dilemma of English Teacher Education and Development in Western China

Abstract

Due to historical, cultural and geographical reasons, education in multi-ethnic region in western China has, aside from common characteristics in domestic education, unique characteristics of the region. Therefore, the problems of teacher education and professional development in this region can only be solved by specialized solutions based on its regional particularity, rather than universally applicable rules. The western ethnic regions in China are a unique and complex system that involves natural ecology, human communities, economic regions, science and technology, humanity history and other elements. With numerous nationalities and great disparity in the intra-regional development, the development of economy, society and education in western China lags far behind that in eastern China. And the imbalance of educational development between the western and eastern regions has posed different requirements and challenges for teacher education and teacher professional development in the two regions. The unbalanced regional education development which could be caused by many factors is an obstacle restricting the overall level of China’s education. And the unbalanced professional development of teachers in eastern and western regions has become an important aspect affecting the gap between eastern and western education levels. Normal colleges in the western region should not only cultivate talents needed in western cities, but also provide professionals in support of educational development in ethnic and rural areas in western China. Thus promoting the educational development in western China is an important step for the implementation of National Outline for Medium and Long-term Education Reform and Development (2010–2020), during which the professional development for teachers in western China is particularly crucial. However, there have been few specific studies targeted at teacher education and professional development in western China so far.