A Contrastive Study Of English Learning In China And In English-speaking Countries By Chinese Students

Research on Second Language Acquisition has been developed for more than40years. Varioustheories have been renewed continuously, and the research methods have been diversified. TheSecond Language Acquisition studies of Chinese scholars initiated late and were affected greatly bywestern Second Language Acquisition theories, Chinese scholars tended to copy and apply westerntheories into English learning and teaching in China. For a long time, there has been a common view,accepted by most people, that only in English-speaking countries can English be mastered well.Learning English in China has been seen as inferior. But this is completely contrary to the facts.Most western scholars’ research of ESL was executed in English (target language) environment. Theresearch in non-English environment, in which English is studied as a foreign language (EFL), isobviously insufficient. Thus, the theories of ESL cannot be used blindly to guide Chinese students’English learning. It is exigent and necessary to explore and study EFL theory which is in accordancewith Chinese students’ actual situations and to develop a Chinese student’s EFL learning strategy.This study adopts both a quantitative and a qualitative method to make a thorough analysis byobserving and following up Chinese students’ English learning experience in China and inEnglish-speaking countries and through detailed interviews with some typical Chinese students. Theauthor chooses Chinese students who are now currently studying abroad or who have such overseasstudy experience as the testee group. The quantitative research data is acquired through responses tothe online questionnaire which focuses on such aspects as their English learning environments,learning styles, teaching methods, learning effects and their own experience before and after they goabroad. The qualitative analysis includes interviews and investigations on typical individual studentsto compare their English results, learning contents, learning degree, language competency,communicative ability and examination ability in China and in English-speaking countries. Itexplores the differences between ESL and EFL and their effects on Chinese students’ Englishlearning, and the applicability, characteristic and function of ESL theory on Chinese students’English learning as well. Previous research can be roughly classified into three categories. In the first research category,the testees were kept fixed, and pre-and post-experiment results were compared in a single languageenvironment. In the second category, the testees were different. And in the third, English learningand teaching effects in China were compared with in English-speaking countries, with testees fromthe two different environments. The present study, however, was carried out with the testees fixed,and compared English learning and teaching effects in China and in English-speaking countries.These research results are the conclusion of long-term follow-up observations and feedbacks, it isnot the short-term phenomenon and action. The experiments in this research could be undertakenrepeatedly; Secondly, the data sample is bigger, and data scope is broader, including overseasstudents in U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia, etc.; Thirdly, the questionnaires, data collections andstatistics of the questionnaires were operated by the designed web system, instead of by humanbeings, so to avoid the subjective factors made by human beings.These research results show that: ESL and EFL are totally different in many aspects; thetheories and methods of ESL are not adaptable for Chinese students’ English learning; Englishlearning of Chinese students should be fixed on the position of EFL, EFL learning is in accordancewith education rule or regular pattern; ESL is accessory to EFL and is functioned as an essential andhelpful supplement; ESL learning is effective for high level English learners; the advantages of ESLshould be utilized to complement EFL learning and teaching.The thesis confirms EFL status and functions for Chinese students, enriches the theories of EFL,and helps students set up the right view of English learning. It provides significant and valuablereferences for students and teachers to make their English learning strategy and teaching strategy.Due to the limitations of research time and research conditions, there are some questions that requirefurther research and it is expected that they will be explored and studied further.