Chinese Tertiary English Educators' Perceptions of Foreign Teacher Involvement in Their Professional Development

China continues to invite expatriate tertiary-level English language educators to teach. Foreign English language teachers and local Chinese English educators who wish to develop professionally have an ever-increasing body of research regarding Chinese culture, education, professional development, and intercultural communication; however, research has yet to explore Chinese teachers' perceptions of expatriate involvement in Chinese teachers' professional development. This qualitative study explored 22 Chinese tertiary-level English educators' perceptions of foreign teacher involvement in their professional development. The participants, Chinese English language educators from eight universities in five cities in the People's Republic of China, shared their perceptions of the professional development process, foreign teachers, foreign culture, and cooperation. From the data, a grounded theory on Chinese educators' perceptions of foreign teachers' involvement in both formal and non-formal professional development activities emerged. In the context of the Chinese university system, Chinese teachers (CTs) perceive that foreign teachers (FTs) are uninterested in, and potentially unqualified for, formal cooperative professional development based on a number of factors. Issues with cooperation stem from the perceptions that FTs are generally less educated and have less experience than their Chinese colleagues. In addition to hiring policies, the Chinese university system does not encourage cooperation. University requirements for rank promotion make formal cooperation problematic due to competition for a limited number of promotions. Although a wall between the two groups hinders formal cooperation, there are opportunities for non-formal cooperation between CTs and FTs. Non-formal cooperation does not generally lead to rank promotion but it provides relief from the isolation faced by many Chinese teachers. The majority of the FTs were regarded as inadequately equipped to participate in the current system of professional development. For the FTs who spoke Chinese and had earned graduate degrees, even doctorates, CTs believed that they may not be interested in cooperating since they were not required to be a part of the Chinese rank promotion system. CTs also expressed that cooperation could potentially be more work, or at least more complicated work, with potentially less reward. Opportunities for non-formal cooperation with FTs exist and are perceived positively by Chinese participants, especially those outside of top-tier universities. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]