FOREIGN TEACHERS AS CULTURAL MEDIATORS IN CHINESE HIGHER EDUCATION: A MULTILINGUAL CASE STUDY OF EUROPEAN LANGUAGE FACULTY AT BEIJING INTERNATIONAL STUDIES UNIVERSITY

Abstract

This qualitative case study explores the cultural mediation role of foreign faculty in Chinese higher education. Drawing on semi‑structured interviews with 20 multilingual European-language instructors at the School of European Studies, Beijing International Studies University, it examines how foreign educators foster cross-cultural understanding through teaching and daily interactions. The findings identify three core mechanisms of cultural mediation: systematic cultural comparison in classroom instruction, informal transnational cultural communication with home-country networks, and strategic use of Chinese language proficiency to bridge cultural divides. Importantly, this mediating function persists after teachers return to their home countries. The study also reveals that instructors across all European languages face similar challenges and that adaptability and Chinese language competence are vital to effective cultural mediation. This research enriches the literature on cultural mediation in higher education and offers practical implications for managing international faculty in multilingual university settings. Although conducted in the Chinese context, these three mechanisms of cultural mediation are applicable to the teaching of European languages across various educational settings. The findings also provide a reference for future comparative research on foreign faculty in different linguistic and cultural environments.