Exploring the Influence of English Subject Reform in China’s Compulsory Education System

Maojia Sun; Kaiyi Wu; Xiaohan Yi; Ruohong Zhang

doi:10.2991/assehr.k.220131.099

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Exploring the Influence of English Subject Reform in China’s Compulsory Education System

Authors

Maojia Sun¹^{, †}, Kaiyi Wu²^{, *}^{, †}, Xiaohan Yi³^{, †}, Ruohong Zhang⁴^{, †}

¹Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, 43400, Malaysia

²School of Education, University of Sydney, Sydney, 2006, Australia

³Communication and Media, University College London, London, WC1E6BT, UK

⁴Letter and Science College, University of California, Davis, 95616, USA

^†

Those authors contributed equally.

^*Corresponding author. Email: ²kawu7147@uni.sydney.edu.au

Corresponding Author

Kaiyi Wu

Available Online 1 February 2022.

DOI: 10.2991/assehr.k.220131.099 How to use a DOI?
Keywords: English Subject Reform; China’s Compulsory Education; Second Language
Abstract: This paper aims to address the policy reform debate on whether English will continue to be the only mandatory foreign language subject in China’s compulsory education system. It explores the role of English as a compulsory subject in China’s nine-year compulsory education system and critically reflects the need for English as a compulsory subject in China. This paper presents three research questions: 1) what do learners think about the importance of English in China? 2) What are learners’ motivations for learning English in China? 3) What is the learner’s attitude towards English learning? This paper studies three questions and uses a qualitative research method to conduct a one-to-one interview with six graduate students who have received nine years of compulsory education in China. The results of the research mainly focus on three aspects: English language’s status in China and its impacts, two English learning motivations, learners’ attitudes towards English subject learning and English education inequality issues. This paper finds that the globalization of English leads to the globalization of other languages and cultures. It is difficult for Chinese students to choose L2 according to their interests, while unified English learning will alleviate the problem of unfair distribution of educational resources in China. This paper wishes to provide educational implications for reference for Chinese educational policymakers to formulate reforms in the future.
Open Access: This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license.

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Volume Title: Proceedings of the 2021 International Conference on Education, Language and Art (ICELA 2021)
Series: Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date: 1 February 2022
ISBN: 978-94-6239-527-5
ISSN: 2352-5398
DOI: 10.2991/assehr.k.220131.099 How to use a DOI?
Open Access: This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license.

Cite this article

ris enw bib

TY  - CONF
AU  - Maojia Sun
AU  - Kaiyi Wu
AU  - Xiaohan Yi
AU  - Ruohong Zhang
PY  - 2022
DA  - 2022/02/01
TI  - Exploring the Influence of English Subject Reform in China’s Compulsory Education System
BT  - Proceedings of the 2021 International Conference on Education, Language and Art (ICELA 2021)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 548
EP  - 556
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220131.099
DO  - 10.2991/assehr.k.220131.099
ID  - Sun2022
ER  -

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