Secondary school English learning and teaching in China: Thirty years of change and its global implication

Abstract

In recent years, ESL instructors and researchers in various English-speaking countries, such as Australia, England, New Zealand, and the United States, are having more contact with Chinese students on college campuses and become perplexed at the discrepancy between their high scores in standardized tests such as TOEFL and GRE and their actual low language ability, especially in speaking and writing. This paper utilizes secondary studies as well as interviews with English teachers in China to examine the history and development of English teaching methods and approaches in Chinese secondary schools in the past three decades. It also specifically discusses the teaching of English writing in Chinese secondary schools. The aim of this study is to help readers gain a better understanding of Chinese students’ learning style and strategies, which may lead to more effective pedagogical assistance in these students’ English learning abroad.