Examining Chinese University EFL Teachers’ Perceptions and Participation in an Academic Salon-Based Professional Learning Community

Abstract

Abstract In the last three decades, Professional learning communities (PLCs) have spread rapidly in different countries and contexts. While much is known about PLCs’ potential to enhance teachers’ professional learning, less is known about factors influencing teachers’ sustained participation and the process concerning how PLC was built at an early stage, especially in higher education in China. This study, conducted at the School of Foreign Languages in a key teacher education university in China, examined 17 university EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers’ perceptions of the value of academic salon-based PLC and the factors influencing their participation. Drawing on data from semi-structured interviews, the results showed that most participants embraced and appreciated the significant role of salon-based PLC in breaking a sense of isolation, enriching general knowledge in research and publication, and enhancing beliefs of the significance of research in professional development. However, how salons were implemented hindered teachers’ sustained participation. Factors at the individual level (i. e., low motivation, heavy workload, etc.) and the institutional level (i.e., non-collaborative culture, hierarchy, etc.) also exerted great influence on teachers’ sustained engagement. Implications for university teachers’ development in the context of PLCs were discussed.