CHAPTER 1 Introduction
1��1 Background of the study
1��1��1 Chinese school system
1��1��2 ELTin China
1��1��3 My learning experience
1��1��4 Prior research
1��1��5 Teacher education in China
1��2 Problem statement
1��3 Aim of the study
1��4 Research questions
1��5 Significance of the study
1��6 Structure of the study
1��7 Positionality

CHAPTER 2 Literature Review
2��1 Introduction
2��2 ELT in China
2��2��1 Examination-oriented system
2��2��2 Teaching approach
2��2��3 Traditional grammar-oriented teaching approach
2��2��4 The CLT approach
2��2��5 Traditional role of teacher and student
2��2��6 Learning motivation in language education
2��2��7 High percentage of rural areas
2��3 Learner autonomy in language learning
2��4 Teacher development/Professional development
2��4��1 Initial teacher education
2��4��2 In-service teacher education
2��4��3 The development of teacher autonomy
2��5 Summary

CHAPTER 3 Research Methodology and Ethical Considerations
3��1 Introduction
3��2 Theoretical framework
3��3 Research design
3��3��1 Critique of qualitative research
3��3��2 Criteria for judging the quality of a quantitative study
3��3��3 Alternative criteria for qualitative research
3��3��4 Authenticity
3��4 Research strategy
3��4��1 The advantage of case study
3��4��2 The justifications of case study
3��4��3 Participants of the study
3��4��4 Research sampling
3��4��5 Ethical considerations
3��5 Research methods
3��5��1 Semi-structured interview
3��5��2 Observation
3��5��3 Documentary research
3��6 Data presentation
3��6��1 Recorded and transcription
3��6��2 Translation of data
3��7 Data analysis
3��7��1 The nature of qualitative data analysis
3��7��2 Thematic analysis
3��8 Summary

CHAPTER 4 Data Presentation and Analysis
4��1 Introduction
4��2 Data from lesson observations
4��2��1 SchoolA
4��2��2 School B
4��2��3 School C
4��2��4 Summary of lesson observation data
4��3 Interviews with English language teachers
4��3��1 Interview data from teachers in School A
4��3��2 Interview data from teachers in School B
4��3��3 Interview data from teachers in School C
4��4 Summary

CHAPTER 5 Discussion of Findings
5��1 Response to research question
5��2 Response to research question
5��2��1 Teachers' perspectives on how they design the ELT curriculum
5��2��2 How teachers teach the ELT curriculum
5��3 Response to research question
5��3��1 Examination-oriented system
5��3��2 Learning materials
5��3��3 Learning motivation
5��3��4 Large class sizes and students with different levels of proficiency in English language
5��4 Response to research question
5��4��1 Collaborative and reflective approach in designing of the lesson plan
5��4��2 Effective classroom management
5��4��3 Reflective practice
5��4��4 Building good relationships with students
5��5 Response to research question
5��6 Response to research question
5��6��1 Engagement with in-service training programmes
5��6��2 Setting personal professional development goals
5��6��3 Teachers' willingness to manage constraints
5��6��4 Being responsible
5��7 A summary of data about the three schools
5��8 Summary

CHAPTER 6 Conclusion and Recommendations
6��1 Introduction
6��2 The content of the ELT curriculum
6��3 The design and implementation of the lesson plan
6��4 The challenges and problems being faced in the delivery of the ELT curriculum in schools
6��5 What teachers can do to ensure the effective learning and teaching of the English language
6��6 The existing opportunities for teachers to develop professionally in schools
6��7 The role of SDPD in the learning and teaching of English language
6��8 Contributions made by my study
6��9 Limitations
6��10 Implications of the study findings
6��10��1 Implications of study findings to English language teachers
6��10��2 Implications for school authorities
6��10��3 Implications for further research
6��11 Final note

REFERENCES
APPENDIX Teachers' Interview Guide