“A Total Warp”? Negotiating teacher authority in a Chinese heritage language classroom

Tiange Wang; Jin Sook Lee

doi:10.54475/jlt.2025.003

Authors

Tiange Wang University of Wisconsin Madison https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7681-2510
Jin Sook Lee University of California, Santa Barbara https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9812-4922

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54475/jlt.2025.003

Keywords:

teacher authority, Chinese heritage language teacher, practitioner action research, cross-culture teaching, teacher-student relationship

Abstract

This study explores the experiences of a novice teacher in a Chinese heritage language classroom who reexamines and reconceptualizes her understanding of teacher authority as her pedagogical practices are met with resistance from students. It highlights how differing expectations between teachers and students shape classroom interactions, teaching practices, and learning opportunities. Through a collaborative action research model, this study makes visible the process of negotiating teacher authority in a heritage language class and the pedagogical adjustments that followed. The findings not only underscore the importance of teacher reflexivity in supporting professional development but also contribute to our understanding of how teacher-student relationships can be negotiated and developed in heritage language classroom contexts.

Author Biographies

Tiange Wang, University of Wisconsin Madison

Tiange Wang (PhD, the University of California, Santa Barbara, corresponding author) is a lecturer in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Her research focuses on Chinese heritage language maintenance and multilingual learners’ language and academic development in Chinese-English dual language immersion programs.
Email: tiange.wang@wisc.edu
Jin Sook Lee, University of California, Santa Barbara

Jin Sook Lee (PhD, Stanford University) is a professor of Education and an affiliate faculty in the Department of Linguistics and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research focuses on the sociocultural processes of heritage education and the development of multilingualism in schools.
Email: jinsooklee@ucsb.edu

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