Local perceptions of bilingual education : examining local staff experiences of bilingual education at an Eastern Chinese international school

Abstract

This research investigated Chinese teachers' perceptions of bilingual education through a post-colonial lens at an Eastern Chinese international school. I initially planned to ask the teachers about their experiences with bilingual education and working with foreign colleagues at their campus. Once I began collecting data through flexible participant-centered interviews, the contributors gave a profound meaning to this work by presenting their lived experiences and the associated emotions, shedding light on realities that have gone overlooked at their bilingual school. The research began with an introduction to the investigated school, followed by a literature review on the themes associated with bilingual education in China. The data was then collected and analyzed through an ethnographic lens using interviews and interview-based participant observations. Once collected, the data generated key themes and subthemes that led to outcomes that connect participant contributions to the themes reviewed through the literature. The study includes recommendations relevant to bilingual educational institutions in China and countries with similar policies and styles of governance.