Teachers’ Perceptions of Multi-text Reading Instruction and Pedagogical Change in Chinese Language Education

Abstract

This study investigates teachers’ perceptions of multi-text reading instruction in a school in Shenzhen and examines how such instruction is implemented in classroom practice, as well as its influence on teaching practices and pedagogical approaches. With recent curriculum reforms in Chinese language education placing greater emphasis on higher-order thinking and deep learning, multi-text reading has gained increasing attention as an effective approach for fostering comprehensive understanding, cross-text integration, and critical thinking. However, the effectiveness of multi-text reading instruction largely depends on teachers’ understanding, acceptance, and professional competence. A descriptive research design is adopted, using a mixed-methods approach that combines a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews. The participants include 100 teachers from a nine-year comprehensive school in Shenzhen. The questionnaire employs a five-point Likert scale to measure teachers’ perceptions of multi-text reading, their professional preparedness, instructional implementation, and perceived student learning outcomes. Semi-structured interviews further explore teachers’ instructional experiences, perceived challenges, and suggestions for improving multi-text reading practices. The findings indicate that teachers generally perceive multi-text reading instruction as effective in enhancing students’ reading comprehension, analytical thinking, and expressive abilities. Teachers report that multi-text reading supports students’ development in cross-text comparison, viewpoint integration, and evidence-based reasoning. At the same time, several challenges are identified, including limited instructional time, insufficient teaching resources, underdeveloped assessment systems, and a lack of targeted professional training. In addition, multi-text reading instruction encourages teachers to emphasize deep questioning, strategic reading guidance, task-based learning, and the use of textual evidence, leading to a shift from single-text explanation toward multi-source information integration and higher-order thinking-oriented pedagogy. Overall, the study highlights the educational value of multi-text reading instruction and underscores the importance of teacher professional development, school-based resource support, and curriculum optimization for its effective implementation.