Voices from international Chinese students on varieties of English: A mixed methods study

The current study explored the experiences with and attitudes toward various English varieties among international Chinese students, matriculated in either undergraduate or graduate levels in a western Pennsylvanian university. In the era of globalization, English has been disseminated around the world and generated different English varieties as a result, but the lack of language awareness among English learners/users is common in many countries where English is spoken as a foreign language (EFL), mainly due to the prevalent standard/native1 English fallacy and limited exposure to English varieties in those countries. In response, this study, relying on a mixed-method design, included both survey and semi-structured interview data. The emphasis was on the comparisons and contrasts of international Chinese students' experiences with diverse Englishes prior to and after their arrivals in the United States. The purpose of the study was to shed light on the burgeoning need to change the status quo and stereotypes with respect to the superiority of “native” Englishes. Also, this study aimed to raise the critical language awareness of English among English learners in China and other countries which share similar situations in English teaching with China.

Duke Scholars

Author Zhenjie Weng DKU Faculty