Analysis Of New Senior English For China From The Perspective Of Intercultural Communication Competence

Guided by intercultural communication competence theory and the objectives of intercultural communication competence cultivation stated in New English Curriculum Standard issued by the Ministry of Education, this study evaluates New Senior English for China published by People’s Education Press. This study answers whether:1) the textbooks include the intercultural knowledge required in New English Curriculum Standard; and 2) the textbooks are helpful in improving students’ intercultural understanding as required in New English Curriculum Standard.In order to answer the two questions, quantitative approach and the method of literature review are employed. Through literature review, the weaknesses of previous studies on senior high school textbooks in China are identified. Books 1-8 are analyzed to testify if they cover all the intercultural knowledge required in New English Curriculum Standard. A questionnaire survey is conducted on 130 students from Tuanfeng Middle School to investigate whether the textbooks are helpful in improving students’ intercultural understanding. The results show that the textbooks basically meet the requirements of New English Curriculum Standard in developing students’ intercultural knowledge and understanding, but there are still weaknesses.The results of the research show that in general, the textbooks meet the requirements of intercultural knowledge development at levels 7 and 8 in New English Curriculum Standard. New Senior English for China also well illustrates the behavioral and non-behavioral patterns of people in English-speaking countries. However, the following information is deficient:commonly used proverbs and allusions in English, mass media, political and economic situation, and religious traditions of English-speaking countries. The output of values and thinking mode in English-speaking countries should be increased in the textbooks.This thesis is composed of five chapters. Chapter 1 is an introduction that describes the background, purpose, and significance of this study and the organization of the thesis. Chapter 2 explains some key terms and reviews the research of textbook evaluation at home and abroad. Based on the literature review, the research questions are proposed. Chapter 3 discusses the methodology. It presents the subjects, instruments, procedures, and data collection and analysis. Chapter 4 reports and discusses the findings from textbook analysis and questionnaire survey. Chapter 5 summarize this research and makes suggestions on how to use the textbooks. The limitations of this study and suggestions for future research are also stressed.