An Autoethnography on Language Ideologies in English Curriculum Development

The paper examines how language ideology in English education affects its curriculum development. By exploring the topic from an autoethnographic perspective, the researcher describes how his transnational learning and teaching experience informed his perception of language ideological changes in English curriculum development. The researcher＇s lived experiences from China to the United States witness how English curriculum develops in an ideological continuum from functional ideology to critical ideology, with cultural ideology and progressive ideology existing between the two extremes. The author then concluded： While language ideology has evolved from stage to stage, due to effects of factors like student acceptance and political ideology, English curriculum in China is still dominated by functional ideology. The paper finally proposes how English language curriculum development should go at the current stage of internationalization.

"Oh My Gosh! The Expression Is Too Chinese" :Attitudes of University Teachers and Students towards China English

With the wide spread of English in the global context, scholars increasingly call for the reshaping of English education towards teaching English as an international language. One oft-mentioned proposal is to increase students＇ exposure to more English varieties, in particular the variety of English used in their country or region. Against this backdrop, this study investigated the attitudes of Chinese university students and teachers towards China English （CE）, an emerging variety in China and the ideological underpinnings beneath their attitudinal responses. In the study, 33 English teachers and 31 students were asked to first evaluate the understandability and acceptability of CE features that are identified in literature and then provide reasons justifying their choices in a questionnaire survey. Results show that both teacher and student participants were reluctant to accept CE as a legitimate variety but their attitudes diverged as regards specific CE features. The in-depth exploration of their justifications revealed that native speaker English ideology, Chinglish stigma and the communicativeness of CE to the outside world were their major concerns in evaluating CE. Findings in this study have implications for educators who attempt to localize English language teaching.

Language Attitude Education as ICC Facilitation: An Explorative Class

This paper reports the design, implementation, and outcome of an action research. The research aimed to examine and improve college students＇ attitudes towards varieties of World Englishes through a mild intervention in an intercultural communication class. Viewing education as a means to facilitate Intercultural Communication Competence （ICC）, of which language attitude was an integral part, the study designed a four-step pedagogical intervention to help students become more open and critical of their attitudes. The four pedagogical steps included language attitude elicitation, deconstruction, reconstruction, and creative solutions to communicative problems. The study found that students largely had conservative language attitudes and prejudices to start with. After the intervention, over 40% of the students acquired more open language attitudes, while some remained ambivalent about embracing linguistic diversity, and a small number of students maintained their previous conservative attitudes. Challenges of attitude change and language attitude education are discussed.

An Instrumental Tool Held at Arm's Length: English as a Vehicle of Cultural Imperialism in China

The English language is seen by the Chinese as a tool of significant pragmatic value, both by the individual and the state. Discourse on English language education within China has, both historically and at present, pitted the pragmatic value of English against concerns of cultural and linguistic erosion and imposition. Concerns over the corrupting impact the English language may have on the Chinese language, and further on Chinese culture, uneasily coexist with an acceptance of the English language＇s role as the key to modernization and economic development. Voices of past and present, have at their core a desire for the protection of a reified cultural identity or essence. However, cultural and linguistic influence has not merely been imposed upon China from external forces, but has been actively drawn in by domestic forces. Such domestic forces range from foreign language education policies that meet the demands of a globalized market-driven economy, to a market demand for English language media such as TV programs, movies and literature. Ultimately, the presence and significance of these domestic forces undermines a view of the English language as a vehicle of cultural imperialism in China.

Influences of teachers’attitudes and oral guidance on the persistence of young children aged 3-6 years old

Persistence is important in developing pre-school children’s ego control.Based on the fact that during the teaching process a teacher’s communication and actions will have a significant influence on young children,which is due to the teachers’high degree of control over them,four experiments were designed to probe the influences of teachers’attitudes and oral guidance on the development of persistence among infant students.The results indicate that different attitudes and oral guidance influence the development of persistence of young children differently.