Negotiating mandate and practice: University EFL teachers’ learning through new textbook use in China

doi:10.65961/AJELT-2026-3-006

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Asian Journal of English Language Teaching ›› 2026, Vol. 35 ›› Issue (3) : 100-121. DOI: 10.65961/AJELT-2026-3-006

Research Article

Negotiating mandate and practice: University EFL teachers’ learning through new textbook use in China

Yuqi Li, Lawrence Jun Zhang

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Yuqi Li, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing, China & University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Lawrence Jun Zhang, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

About the author(s):

Yuqi LI is a full-time PhD student at Beijing Foreign Studies University and is a visiting PhD student in the Faculty of Arts and Education at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, for a one-year joint doctoral program. Her interests include teacher cognitive development and the use of language teaching materials in second/foreign language education. Her publications have appeared in Chinese journals of applied linguistics, including Foreign Language Research and English Language Learning. https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3484-0453

Lawrence Jun ZHANG, PhD, is Professor of Applied Linguistics and Associate Dean, Faculty of Arts and Education, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. His research focuses on the psychology of language learning and teaching, including learner metacognition, L2 reading and writing development, motivation, language textbooks, teacher use of AI, and assessment literacy. He has published widely in leading journals such as Applied Linguistics, Applied Linguistics Review, Modern Language Journal, TESOL Quarterly, Language Teaching, Language Teaching Research, Linguistics and Education, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, Computer Assisted Language Learning, Computers & Education, Computers in Human Behavior, Metacognition and Learning, and System, among others. He serves on several editorial boards and was Co-Editor-in-Chief of System for seven years until December 2024. He received International TESOL Association’s “50@50” Award in 2016 and has been consistently listed among the top 2% most-cited scholars in linguistics and language education. https: orcid.org/0000-0003-1025-1746

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Abstract

This study employs Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) to examine how two Chinese university teachers learn as they use the Understanding Contemporary China textbook series for the first time. Findings reveal that teacher learning is driven by a dynamic hierarchy of four levels of contradictions: From teachers’ initial doubts about the textbook’s purpose, to tensions concerning specialized knowledge, student participation, and institutional rules, and further extends to tensions with the established teaching routine and overall curriculum design. To resolve these contradictions, teachers drew on mediational means that progressed from external resources (training sessions, expert consultation, official materials) to internalized professional judgment, reflecting a shift from other-regulation to self-regulation. Crucially, the two teachers faced similar contradictions; however, their differing curriculum traditions, rooted in divergent pedagogical norms between interpretation and translation courses, led them to perceive and resolve tensions differently. This resulted in distinct learning processes and practical outcomes. These findings contribute to understanding how contradictions in ideologically oriented reforms can trigger transformative teacher learning and emphasize the role of curriculum tradition as a mediating factor in shaping professional development under reform.

Key words

Teacher learning / textbook use / activity theory / contradictions / mediation / curriculum reform

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Yuqi Li, Lawrence Jun Zhang. (2026). Negotiating mandate and practice: University EFL teachers’ learning through new textbook use in China.Asian Journal of English Language Teaching , 35(3): 100-121. https://doi.org/10.65961/AJELT-2026-3-006

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