Foreign English Teachers in the Chinese Classroom: Focus on Teacher-Student Interaction

This exploratory study involved 25 foreign English teachers and 99 Chinese students at a Chinese university, empirically examining their interaction in the Chinese classroom. Based on questionnaires and interview data, this research explores foreign English teachers' and Chinese students' perspectives on classroom teacher-student interaction. The author also explores the reasons: the differences of Socratic methods and Confucian methods. The foreign English teachers attributed the factors affecting the interaction to the cultural, linguistic, approach, and psychological/affective factors. However, students attributed the factors affecting the interaction to the motivational and cultural factors and learning habit. Finally, the author identified some pertinent implications for foreign English teachers, the students, and the universities, with a view to improving the quality of classroom teaching and learning.