Article
Content-based English education in China: Students’ experiences and perspectives
The Journal of Contemporary Issues in Education
(2012)
Abstract
This study explores undergraduate students’ experiences and perceptions of the
content-based EFL instruction at a northwestern Chinese university. It is one of the first
empirical studies of content-based EFL in China. Through a three-part open-ended questionnaire
administered with 34 undergraduate students majoring in finance, the study reveals
overwhelming support for this approach to EFL. Participants believed that learning English and
content knowledge simultaneously was helpful and that the spread of English in China can
benefit the nation and its people. The findings also indicate that some participants were critical of
the approach, stating that it is “shallow content teaching” and suggesting that subject matter
content be taught in Chinese. The participants praised their original English texts and expressed
their preference for student-centered learning.
Disciplines
Publication Date
2012
DOI
10.20355/C5B59J
Publisher Statement
Copyright 2012 University of Alberta
Citation Information
Gulbahar Beckett and Fang Li. "Content-based English education in China: Students’ experiences and perspectives" The Journal of Contemporary Issues in Education Vol. 72 Iss. 1 (2012) p. 47 - 63 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/gulbahar-beckett/2/
Creative Commons license
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC_BY International License.