Deyuan He

What makes learners anxious while speaking English: a comparative study of the perceptions held by university students and teachers in China

This study investigates the reasons leading to Chinese students’ foreign language speaking anxiety (FLSA). China is a nation with the largest number of English as a foreign language learners in the world, but most of them have learnt “mute English” when it comes to expressing themselves orally in English. FLSA may be an important factor leading to their unsatisfactory learning achievements. However, it has not been adequately addressed in the educational settings of China. This study endeavours to make a contribution in this aspect. With two cross-validated methods (questionnaire survey and focused interview), this study drew comprehensive data from 332 participants at two universities in China and found 14 major reasons of Chinese students’ FLSA. It also compared students’ and teachers’ views about these reasons and reported the significant differences emerged. It further argued that understanding the reasons is an important step in reducing FLSA and hence enhancing learning effectiveness.

Perceptions of Chinese English and Pedagogic Implications for Teaching English in China

The global language, English, has now become World Englishes. In this context, there seems to be an urgent need to study Chinese English since China is now the country with the largest English learning and using population. The present chapter is such an attempt. It draws comprehensive data from 984 college students and their teachers at four universities in different parts of China. With two cross-validated research methods (matched-guise technique and focused interview), the study investigates college teachers’ and students’ perceptions of the ideal pedagogic model of college English in the Chinese mainland – Chinese English as opposed to the native-speaker-based norms. The findings suggest that the preferred teaching model of college English in China’s classrooms is a native-speaker-based variety of English (e.g. American English or British English) supplemented with salient, well-codified, and properly implemented features of Chinese English. The chapter also argues that, where possible, college English classes in China should be taught by both local non-native-speaking English teachers (LETs) and native-speaking English teachers (NETs), since students can benefit from the strengths of both types of teachers. In addition, the findings maintain that LETs should be given opportunities for training in English-speaking countries in order to enhance their own English proficiency levels and that only qualified NETs should be recruited to teach college English in China.

What We Know about Chinese English: Status, Issues and Trends

Research on Chinese English (CE) synchronizes with studies on World Englishes. Since the late 1970s, Chinese scholars have been studying Chinese English and at the same time introducing World Englishes theories into China. Over the years, Chinese English research has been gaining momentum, particularly since the beginning of the twenty-first century. Previous research on World Englishes has discussed the status of individual varieties of English, particularly whether they constitute independent and stable linguistic systems that have their own features and norms of usage independent from those found in Inner Circle varieties (Kachru 1985). Research on Chinese English encompasses a wide range of issues, including whether it exists, how to name it, how to define it, what its linguistic features are, how people perceive it, and what people’s attitudes are towards it. In this chapter, we report on the current status and major issues concerning research on Chinese English, based on a vigorous review of relevant research literature and the chapters within this volume. We also provide a background to this volume and an overview of all the chapters that it contains, and point out trends for researching Chinese English. The overall aim of this chapter, alongside all the chapters of this volume, is to showcase the current state of research on Chinese English.

University teachers? and students? understanding of learning a foreign language: Coping with speaking anxiety

China is well known for its very large number of English learners, but most of them have suffered from foreign language speaking anxiety (FLSA) when expressing themselves orally in the language. FLSA has been scarcely addressed in the educational settings of China, especially in terms of the practical strategies for reducing students? FLSA. In light of this gap, an investigation into the coping strategies for FLSA was conducted by drawing comprehensive data from 302 university students and 30 teachers of English at two universities in different parts of China. Questionnaire surveys and focused interviews were adopted to collect data and explore perceptions concerning FLSA. With these two cross-validated research methods, 32 strategies for reducing students? FLSA were identified. These strategies were verified to be effective after being applied for a period of four months by the participants. The results of the study showed that persistent application of such strategies is of great significance in alleviating students? FLSA and hence making their learning more enjoyable. The results and findings were also discussed in relation to those from previous research in the field. Furthermore, the strategies verified in this study would provide important pedagogic implications for foreign language education involving English.