Views of English Language Teachers in Private Colleges Regarding Microteaching

Abstract

Since the Economy Opening-up policy in China, English has become a compulsory component in curriculum from primary school to university. Studies on ELT teachers in China are abundant, however, they tend to gaze at the ELT in government- sponsored units. With more and more private institutions commenced to provide ELT course for diverse levels and for various purposes, there emerges a relative unfamiliarity with these teachers working in private sectors. This mixed-method study aims at understanding their perspectives and experiences of micro-teaching as measures of their professional development. Current study demonstrates that teachers from private institutes in China are aware of different aspects of microteaching, but some of them, due to their leaders’ and schools’ respective contexts and culture, deem the function and influence of microteaching recommended by researchers from western world are not adequate to improving teaching in a Chinese context.