Chinese Students' Attitudes towards the Use of English-medium Instruction into the Curriculum Courses: A Case Study of a National Key University in Beijing

Abstract

This article outlines the necessity for investigating the attitudes of local students towards the use of the English-medium instruction (EMI) strategy in their programs in China. It starts by presenting an overview of English as a global language, how English is emphasized in China, and briefly presents the concept of 'Attitude' and how the motivation factor plays a significant role in the conception processing of attitudes. Semi-structured interviews with six graduate students majoring in different programs are conducted. The analysis of the interviews identified that the participants hold very positive attitudes towards the use of the EMI strategy at their current programs. The participants, furthermore, expressed their complete readiness to join post-graduate programs wherein only the EMI strategy is implemented. In addition to the factors identified in the literature, the current article also recognized new factors that led the participants to conceiving positive attitudes: maintaining a global friendship, obtaining a leadership position, and acquainting with international scholars. Moreover, it is argued that 'quantity' precedes 'quality' in higher education institutions. Finally, the article provides a suggestion for how to meet the students' language needs and maximize the competition in obtaining top world-class university rankings.