Exploring Chinese Teachers' Experiences in Teaching English as a Foreign Language Focusing on Large Class Management: A Case of One Beijing Elementary School
Keywords:
Chinese EFL teachers, teacher experience, large-class management, teaching workload, elementary schoolAbstract
This study explored Chinese primary school EFL teachers’ experiences, large-class size management practices, and guidelines needs within the context of recent educational reforms. Using a convergent mixed-methods design, the research collected questionnaire responses from 43 teachers, the whole population, and conducted semi-structured interviews with 8 teachers from a school in Beijing. The quantitative findings from the questionnaire revealed that teachers reported relatively strong colleague support (M=4.11) and the lowest mean score for workload manageable (M=2.91), indicating significant stress in large-class teaching environments. Regarding management strategies for large class sizes, preventive and organizational measures (e.g., establishing classroom routines, addressing disruptions) were employed more frequently. Assessment-related findings further indicate that while the use of quick formative assessments was moderately frequent (M=3.79), providing timely personalized feedback in large classes was perceived as particularly challenging, scoring lowest in this domain (M=3.08). The qualitative findings from semi-structured interviews provided deeper insights. Teachers consistently described heavy administrative burdens and non-teaching workloads as the most prominent challenges (N=41). Interview data also highlighted difficulties in addressing student ability differences when class sizes frequently exceeded 40 students (N=37). Furthermore, teachers expressed ambivalent attitudes towards educational technology: while acknowledging its potential value, they reported inadequate instructional training and increased operational burdens that hindered effective classroom implementation. The qualitative findings contextualize statistical trends by explaining how systemic pressures, class size, and limited institutional support collectively shape teachers' instructional choices and professional confidence within the context of teaching foreign languages in large classes.
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