Effects of content-based curriculum on the language performance of Chinese English majors. (1st September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pu, Xianwei; Lu, Leina
• Is Part Of: International journal of English for academic purposes. (2021:Autumn)
• Page Start: 147
• Page End: 165
• Publication Date: 2021-09-01
• Subjects: content-based curriculum -- language performance -- English majors; English language -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- Periodicals; Academic writing -- Periodicals; 420.711
• DOI: 10.3828/ijeap.2021.10
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2634-4610

Abstract

Abstract : In 2014 the School of Foreign Studies of Nanjing University of Science and Technology replaced the old language-skill-based curriculum for undergraduate English majors with a new content-based curriculum. The study investigated the effects of content-based curriculum on the language performance of students in the national Tests for English Majors – Grade 4 and Grade 8 (TEM-4 and TEM-8). It was found that content-based curriculum had positive effects on the language performance of lower-grade English majors; however, the students under the new curriculum exhibited a tendency of polarization development, with both the excellence rate and the failure rate in TEM-4 greatly increasing. It was also found that content-based curriculum did not have obvious positive or negative effects on the language performance of highergrade English majors in TEM-8. Suggestions were put forward on the improvement of content-based curriculum for undergraduate Chinese English majors.