Leadership Styles and Challenges of English Teachers in China's Tibet

Tibetans, living in the Tibet Autonomous Region and the Tibetan autonomous prefectures and counties in Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces in China, have the highest illiteracy rates in Chinese and English in China, and are not doing well in today's market. The poor quality of education, especially English education, is one of the core factors explaining this phenomenon. The poor quality of English education is caused by the poorly prepared teachers practicing inappropriate leadership styles and by teachers' inability to properly address educational challenges in teaching. This study focuses on issues related to English teachers' leadership styles and challenges at schools in Tibetan areas of China. It identifies English teachers' common challenges and leadership styles in teachings; determines relationships among English teachers' demographic variables, their leadership styles, levels of practice, and their challenges in teaching; synthesizes these findings; and provides recommendations for improving the quality of English education in Tibetan areas of China.