Intercultural Dilemmas and Coping Strategies in Chinese Language Teaching at Thai Primary Schools

With the deepening of China–Thailand educational cooperation, Chinese has become one of the most widely taught foreign languages in Thai primary schools, and teachers from China, including government-sponsored teachers and international Chinese language education volunteers, constitute a major part of the teaching workforce. Adopting a qualitative approach based on documentary analysis and theoretical interpretation, this article examines the intercultural dilemmas that Chinese teachers encounter in Thai primary school classrooms. Drawing on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory, research on Thai cultural values, and Byram’s model of intercultural communicative competence, the analysis identifies four interrelated dilemmas: a conflict between Chinese expressions of teacher authority and the Thai emphasis on enjoyable learning; a mismatch in pedagogical beliefs and assessment practices; a one-directional and insufficiently localized approach to cultural content; and structural constraints arising from high teacher turnover and the lack of a shared classroom language. In response, the article proposes coping strategies at four levels: developing teachers’ intercultural competence, localizing classroom management, making cultural teaching dialogic, and strengthening institutional support. The study aims to offer a reference for improving the quality of Chinese language teaching in Thai primary schools.

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