Bilingual education for the Tujia: the case of Tujia minority schools in Xiangxi autonomous prefecture

A field trip to Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture was conducted in early 2016, to investigate bilingual education for the Tujia in China. Through observation of language classes, along with interviews with local students, parents and bilingual teachers, this paper investigates the current bilingual education situation for the Tujia in three schools. A number of unpublished government documents and historical records from local county archives are also analysed to support the findings. The paper will first outline the historical development of bilingual education for the Tujia in Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture. Secondly, it will investigate the textbooks, the medium of instruction and the teaching approach employed in the language classroom. Then it will scrutinise the attitudes of local teachers, students and parents towards bilingual education, to provide a full picture of bilingual education for the Tujia students. This study sheds light on the future of bilingual education development for the Tujia ethnic group, and proposes an analytical model to capture the current situation and indicate the future development of bilingual education from the pedagogical perspective.