Navigating the "Culture of Learning": Institutional and Socio-Cultural Barriers to CLT Implementation by Non-Native English Teachers in Chinese Universities

This qualitative study examines the institutional and socio-cultural barriers faced by non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs) implementing Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in Chinese universities, with particular attention to how teachers' empathetic understanding of student experience shapes their pedagogical practice. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and classroom observations with 18 non-native English teachers across five Chinese universities, the study identifies three categories of barriers: institutional constraints (examination-driven curricula, large class sizes, limited resources), socio-cultural factors (student expectations, face-saving concerns, hierarchical relationships), and teacher identity challenges (linguistic insecurity, credibility concerns, professional recognition). Significantly, the findings reveal that teachers' empathy—rooted in their own language learning experiences—serves as a distinctive resource for navigating these barriers and supporting student engagement in communicative activities. The study contributes to the literature by moving beyond deficit models of NNESTs to recognize their distinctive strengths and by positioning empathy as a core principle of student-centered CLT. Implications are discussed for teacher education, institutional policy, and classroom practice.