Using Parent and Teacher Voices in the Creation of a Western-Based Early Childhood English-Language Program in China

Abstract

The current English-language research and educational program was driven by an initiative to create a more interactive, theme-based bilingual language education model for preschools in Chengdu, China. During a 2-week teacher education program centered at the Experimental Kindergarten of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Chengdu, China, a team of educational and developmental researchers and early childhood educators from the United States created and implemented a teacher education workshop centered on theme-based, child-centered early bilingual education curricula. The team conducted a series of classroom demonstrations, teaching observations, and focused group discussions and presented theoretical lectures to supplement and support the learning objectives of the workshop. Changes in teachers’ understanding of the learning materials and perspectives on educational approaches were measured using pre- and posttest surveys with multiple-choice, Likert-type scale, and open-ended responses. Results showed increases in teachers’ learning as well as positive responses to the researchers’ model. Parent surveys were collected to understand their motivations and expectations for children’s English-language learning, and the data showed unique patterns in Chinese parents’ goals for their children’s bilingualism. The authors describe how teacher and parent data can be used to give context to the local teaching approaches and conditions, and how these data can be used to refine, adapt, and implement Western-based models.