Integrating Multimedia Technology into Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language: A Field Study on Perspectives of Teachers in Northern California

This field study investigated the current use of multimedia technology in teaching Chinese as a foreign language in Northern California, as well as the barriers and challenges that TCFL teachers have encountered in their practice. An online survey was developed to collect data from 75 local TCFL teachers in Northern California. Findings indicated that most teachers felt they were competent enough in using multimedia technology. About half of the TCFL teachers had never received formal training on multimedia skills, even though they did not view a lack of training opportunities as a major barrier to multimedia use. The lack of school funding was the most critical factor in hindering teachers’ use of multimedia. The study argues for the need to provide more support to TCFL teachers at the institutional level. More training programs are also needed to prepare teachers for a shift of role from traditional sources of knowledge to facilitators of technology-mediated learning.