Classroom management in CFL education at all-girls secondary schools in the UAE

Abstract

Classroom management is a significant issue for foreign language teachers. However, in Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) education, little is known about classroom management for female secondary school students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This paper focuses on classroom management issues and solutions in CFL education at all-girls secondary schools in the UAE, with the aim of providing insights toward enhancing teachers’ classroom management and students’ learning. Data were collected in March 2020 via online surveys completed by CFL teachers and students of all-girls secondary schools in the UAE. In addition, several teachers (chosen at random) were interviewed to obtain further details on their classroom management experiences. Quantitative and qualitative analysis revealed that CFL teachers face issues with students frequently entering and leaving the classroom, being late to or absent from class, talking out of turn, disrespecting teachers, and coming to class without the right materials. Teachers use various strategies to address these issues, including getting help from administrators, creating reward and consequence systems, and changing their teaching methods. The findings suggest that CFL teachers can enhance their classroom management by being more professional, building rapport with students, and avoiding seeking frequent help from administrators.