To Be or Not to Be? The 'Publish or Perish' Syndrome for English Teacher Educators in China

The philosophy of "publish or perish" has already been adopted as a yardstick by the vast majority of Chinese higher education institutions in their attempts to benchmark Western research universities in recent years, which has led to increasing pressure on university teachers to produce research publications. This paper addresses this endemic issue in China's teaching universities with particular reference to its impact on English teacher educators. It points out that this trend is a result of unrealistically benchmarking research universities in well-resourced Western countries and overlooking the nature of teaching universities, the nature of English teacher educators' professional commitments, and the practical constraints on China's teaching institutions. It has given rise to a variety of problems which, unless addressed properly, may demoralize English teacher educators and impair the quality of both teaching and research. The paper argues that a fair perception of and attitude towards research and realistic expectations of English teacher educators' research outcomes are essential. Practical implications at macro-, meso- and micro-levels are provided with the aim of improving the status quo.