An investigation into how Chinese undergraduates’ learning experiences influence their attitudes, values and beliefs about English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning

Abstract

Over the past 20 years, there has been a growing expectation in China that young people learn English throughout the different academic levels – most especially in Chinese Higher Education (CHE). This is predominantly due to China’s endeavours to modernise and step into globalisation in the past two decades. English as a global language has become an indispensable communication tool for modernisation and globalisation in China (Zheng, 2015; Sun, Hu & Ng, 2017). Accordingly, there has been a growing interest in the way English is taught and how Chinese students learn English as a Foreign Language (EFL). A large number of studies (e.g., Peng, 2011; Chew, 2013; Zhong, 2015; DE BOT, 2016) have sought to show the most important factors which influence students’ attitudes, values and beliefs in English learning, such as Chinese traditional culture, students’ intrinsic and extrinsic language learning motivation, individual differences and classroom affordances. However, studies into students’ previous learning experiences, which have been identified as central to influencing students’ attitudes, values and beliefs in other countries (e.g., Amuzie and Winke, 2009; Kolb, 2009; 2014; Yang and Kim, 2011), are surprisingly fewer in the Chinese context. To better understand the teaching and learning of English in China, this study seeks to fill the research gap to get an ‘inside picture’ (Jin and Cortazzi, 2011, p. 53) of Chinese students’ by analysing how their previous learning experiences influence their attitudes, values and beliefs about EFL learning. In order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how students’ EFL learning attitudes, values and beliefs are shaped by learning experiences, I conducted a qualitative study focusing on fifteen undergraduates from three universities in Mainland China. Data was collected through the two phases of semi-structured interviews with each participant. During the interviews, I encouraged the participants to provide a narrative of their past learning experiences. The analysis and interpretation of the findings were conducted through an adapted narrative and inductive analysis approach, which allowed me to focus on the narratives and views of the participants. The findings reveal the pervasive influence of Chinese undergraduates’ previous learning experiences on EFL learning attitudes, values and beliefs. The primary implication of the findings is that emotions and cognitions, originating from previous learning experiences – whether positive or negative – impact students’ attitudes, values and beliefs about EFL learning. Positive emotional reactions reported by the participants had a positive impact, whereas negative emotional reactions had both negative and (occasionally) positive impacts. It can thus be concluded that Chinese students’ previous learning experiences must be both acknowledged and valued. Finally, the results of this study suggest that EFL acquisition in China does not need to focus so heavily on formal learning. Indeed, taking the findings of this study into consideration, I would argue that exploring and investigating Chinese students’ diverse range of non-formal and informal learning experiences can reveal insights with which to mitigate formal learning shortcomings.