Language Ideology and Identity Seeking: Perceptions of College Learners of English in China

Abstract

This study was based on the view that collective conceptions of learners have intimate connections with both social and linguistic analysis and language education. It set out to examine systematically the perceptions of Chinese college students on English and English education against the background of both the increasing role of English in the world at large and a national advocacy for English learning in China. Drawing on data obtained from an extensive survey conducted at four universities in China, the study probes the complexities of students’ attitudes toward the status of English, the pluralism of English, and the way students identify themselves with English. The findings lend support to making adjustments to English education so as to attend to learners’ needs of learning, communication, and identity seeking and to empower them to meet the opportunities and challenges brought about by the unprecedented spread of the language.

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