Abstract:In recent years, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ identification with their own culture has attracted much attention in China. There has been increasing concerns that learning English may lead to the loss of Chinese culture. Taking textual analysis as a research method, this paper makes a diachronic analysis of 38 English language education policy documents mandated in China since its reform and opening up to the world nearly four decades ago, with an aim to generalize the trends of cultural identity planning in China’s EFL context. It is found that the English language education policies adopted before the year 2000 have a strong instrumentalism orientation, where Chinese cultural identity is rarely touched upon by policymakers. In contrast, intercultural communication ability is emphasized after the year 2000, and learners’ cultural identity cultivation has been foregrounded in the policy documents. Currently, the policy discourses regarding Chinese cultural identity construction are mainly revolving around defining foreign language talents and optimizing curriculum design. Other policy factors, such as medium of instruction, contents of curriculum, family language planning and learners’ motivations, may as well influence learners’ identity construction. The paper concludes that cultural identity construction through top-down policy mechanism would be a prolonged and challenging endeavor.
刘媛媛,邓 飞,赵蓉晖. 改革开放以来中国英语教育“文化认同”规划研究[J]. 语言战略研究, 2019, 4(2): 74-82.
Liu Yuanyuan, Deng Fei and Zhao Ronghui. Cultural Identity Planning in China: A Diachronic Study of the English Language Education Policy in China since Opening-up. , 2019, 4(2): 74-82.