Critical Pedagogy in a Chinese Transnational University: Challenges and Possibilities

This research explores barriers to and opportunities for Critical English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in a transnational university in Mainland China. In recent years there has been an explosion in the number of Western universities establishing transnational campuses in China. While these institutions seem to present unique challenges for critical pedagogues, there has been little research focusing on them. After using Critical Discourse Analysis to analyse documents relating to the pedagogical, institutional, and legislative contexts in which transnational universities operate in China, the topic was explored using interviews and group discussions with EAP tutors and students at one Chinese transnational university, the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC). Data from these interviews and the group discussion was analysed using Constructivist Grounded Theory and a combination of Critical Discourse Analysis and Bakhtinian dialogism. The research found that significant barriers exist to the institutionalisation of critical pedagogy, particularly around the oppositional nature of Western and Chinese discourses called on by tutors and students respectively, the institutional imposition of power on teachers and students from outside the classroom, and the ‘academic theme park’ experience provided by the university. This research can provide critical pedagogues with a clear-eyed view of the complexities of achieving educational and social change in this highly challenging environment.