Chinese American Educational Research and Development Association
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Educational Research & Development Journal
Vol 15, No 1 (2012)
The Teachers Stories at a Chinese Maintenance School |
| Yanan Fan, Xue Han |
Abstract |
| In this study, the authors discuss the nature of a teachers stories in a Chinese maintenance class and examine how the teacher positions herself and her students in class and its broader sociocultural context through her storytelling. Using participant observation as a lens, the authors aim to gain insights into what meaning the teacher makes of those stories and for what purposes, and to understand the context in which these stories are shared and interpreted. The study reveals that the teachers stories function in several ways, which include engaging the students in learning Chinese language and literacy texts, reinforcing positive attitudes toward learning Chinese, and enriching students understanding of their native language and Chinese culture. The various purposes and functions of storytelling in this study suggest that language teachers and teacher educators should be more aware of the potential, power, and cultural connotation of their stories. |
| Full Text: PDF |
ISSN: 1526-8659