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Investigation into transition of medium of instruction in Aba Prefecture

Translanguaging, attitudes and local adjustment

| Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences
| Aba Tibetan Middle School in Aba County

The medium of instruction (MoI) in the bilingual education of Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture is regulated through two modes. The first stipulates that Putonghua should be used for most school subjects, while the second requires exclusive use of Putonghua as the MoI for all subjects. In 2023, a field trip was conducted to investigate the ongoing implementation of MoI in bilingual schools for Tibetan students in Aba Prefecture.

This research initially examines the current bilingual education situation for Tibetans in two local schools, with a focus on classroom teaching supported by the first MoI mode. It reveals that translanguaging pedagogy is a primary practical strategy employed to adapt to the transition from the first MoI mode to the second. Furthermore, it scrutinises attitudes and localised strategies of teachers, students and parents towards this transitional process, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current medium of instruction for Tibetan students.

The findings indicate that (1) teachers’ translanguaging practices significantly contribute across three dimensions; (2) stakeholders’ attitudes towards bilingual education transformation vary; and (3) partial national initiatives offer support to promote the transition in different ways. Finally, this paper briefly summarises existing discrepancies related to MoI transitions and translanguaging practice, and offers insights into future developments in MoI transition for minority ethnic students attending bilingual schools in China.

Keywords: Bilingual education, medium of instruction (MoI), translanguaging, Tibetans
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Research questions
  • 3.Data and methods
    • 3.1Interview
    • 3.2Participant observations and archive data
  • 4.Findings
    • 4.1Overview of the ongoing MoI transition
    • 4.2Translanguaging practices
    • 4.3Attitudes towards the transformation of bilingual education
    • 4.4Support offered by national initiatives
  • 5.Discussion
    • 5.1Translanguaging practices in the ongoing MoI transition
    • 5.2Stakeholder viewpoints and fundamental determinants
    • 5.3Local adjustments with various measures
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • Author queries
  • References
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