New K-12 Chinese teachers’ experiences with curriculum: Flexibilities and difficulties

Investigating the experiences of four new Chinese language teachers from diverse backgrounds in a Midwest state, this study explores their interactions with curriculum during their first year of teaching in U.S. K-12 schools. Using Zeichner and Gore’s interactive perspective of teacher socialization, the study gathered qualitative data from multiple sources and formats. The data underwent coding and analysis in NVivo 8. The findings revealed that these new teachers had limited access to K-12 Chinese curriculum and lacked sufficient knowledge about it. Consequently, they faced challenges in making informed curricular decisions and struggled in their daily instruction. Despite these obstacles, the teachers managed to create their own curricula, implement student-centered teaching, and incorporate both Pinyin and Chinese characters in their instruction. The paper concludes with recommendations for Chinese teacher education.