Exploring teachers’ pedagogical practices in teaching Mandarin as a foreign language in MARA educational institutions, Malaysia

• Main Authors: Jafri, Nuraini, Abd Manaf, Umi Kalthom, Razali, Fazilah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Society for Research and Knowledge Management 2020
• Online Access: http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/88915/1/ABSTRACT.pdf; http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/88915/; https://www.ijlter.org/index.php/ijlter/article/view/2092

In recent years, it has become evident that pedagogical practices used by teachers significantly contribute to ensuring the quality of students’ learning. However, the existing literature on teachers’ pedagogical practice reveals that there are very few qualitative explanatory studies on teaching Mandarin as a foreign language, specifically in Malaysia. Hence, this research aimed to explore teachers’ pedagogical practices in teaching Mandarin as FL, including their perceptions of the research. This qualitative case study collected data through six semi-structured interviews with Mandarin teachers working under MARA colleges. These informants were chosen by using a convenience purposive sampling method. The data analyzed using Atlas. It revealed that teachers are still using a traditional teaching style, as well as the pre-established beliefs that the teachers had in knowledge constructions and 21st-century skills. Beyond that, the findings also indicated the Mandarin teachers need professional development opportunities as the majority of them described the signs of job burnout. After careful data analysis, the researcher proposed this research to be further explored from the perspectives of language learners. Besides that, it is recommended to explore the inculcation of 21st-century pedagogy, including grounding the theory of Mandarin teachers’ pedagogical practices.