Analysing the Teachers’ Resistance Behaviour in Integrating Foreign Language Teaching Reforms in Chinese Colleges and Universities

Abstract

The research delves into the perceptions, attitudes, and resistance of teachers toward foreign language reform at the higher education levels in China, emphasising the internal and external factors responsible for the resistance. The research further indicates that multilingual proficiency is becoming increasingly prevalent because of global demands as well as China's socio-political aspirations, including initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative. The research uses qualitative methodology with semi-structured interviews with five teachers through snowball sampling. The data, thematically analysed in NVivo, reveals four major categories: perceptions and attitudes toward reforms; perceived limitations of existing efforts; internal resistance factors; and external barriers. The findings reveal scepticism regarding the relevance of reform, lack of training in practical skills, resource insufficiency, and weak collaboration as prime inhibitions. This highlights the interconnectedness of internal and external factors which underscore the need for realistic reform objectives, and strong leadership. The study suggests better planning, stakeholder collaboration, and clear communication of the benefits of reforms. Limitations are small sample size and lack of quantitative analysis leading to future research in students' perceptions and particular language needs for career development.