Challenges of Implementing Inquiry-based Learning in Chinese Secondary school EFL Classrooms: A Review of Teachers’ and Students’ Perceptions

Abstract

This article explores the dilemma of implementing inquiry-based learning (henceforth IBL) in Chinese secondary school English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms. The social context for implementing IBL is under the influence of rigid, traditional language learning approaches like rote learning. As a result, many Chinese secondary school EFL learners lose interest in English learning and do not consider it fun or helpful. Many of these secondary school students spend most of their language learning time on the memorization of vocabulary, grammar rules, and phrases to deal with English tests. However, they have few opportunities to use English as a powerful tool to help them. Instead, most Chinese secondary school EFL teachers and students do not perceive EFL learning as an interesting exploratory journey which could be embarked on via inquiry in lieu of knowledge-based lectures. This review article attempts to explain the emergence of this phenomenon by reviewing literature on teachers’ and students’ perceptions towards IBL in the hope of providing a better picture of the implementation of IBL in Chinese secondary school EFL classrooms.