From 'Main Course' to 'Side Dish?' Debates about Removing English as a Core Subject for Chinese Students Receiving Compulsory Education

• Published in: Changing English Vol. 30; no. 1; pp. 54 - 65
• Main Authors: Chen, Ningyang, Gu, Chenyang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 02.01.2023; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Attitudes; China; Competition; Compulsory Education; Core curriculum; Education; Education policy; Education reform; Educational Change; Educational Policy; Elementary Secondary Education; English (Second Language); English as a core subject; English as a second language; Equal Education; Ethnography; exam-oriented education; Foreign Countries; Language Attitudes; Language Role; Language Tests; National Curriculum; policy; Political Influences; Public Officials; Public Opinion; Required Courses; Second Language Instruction; Second Language Learning; Secondary schools; Social Media; Student Attitudes; China

China's impressive growth over the last three decades warrants the need to re-evaluate the position and positioning of English in the country's educational system. For long, English has been taught and learned compulsorily alongside Chinese and maths in primary and secondary schools in the...