A Comparative Study Of EFL Education In China And Germany: Policies, Skills And Acquisition

English as Foreign Language (EFL) has significantly changed its position in the higher education. In the past, English was just a subject which was meant for students majoring in English language or literature, but with the trend of globalisation and internationalisation of higher education, EFL has turned to be a multidisciplinary language. Hence, this research has undertaken to examine the present higher Foreign Language Education Policy and Planning situation in China and Germany based on the self-determination theory by Deci (1985). First a comparative study as a descriptive research of the German and Chinese policy and planning was undertaken to map the comparison design of the EFL policies and planning. The findings showed that the learners as a self-determined centre were ignored. A questionnaire survey for a German and Chinese university was used and to 40 Chinese and 40 German students administrated. The questionnaire is constructed for comparison and contrast between the two countries. It is designed to investigate whether from the students' attitudes towards the EFL policy and planning goals are aimed. The survey is designed with the focus on seeing in the ongoing process of globalisation, with the more advanced key skills: Communicative skills, Intercultural skills, Self-training skills and skills to access the knowledge pertaining to the students'respective fields of specialization, the basis for the comparison of the two groups of students. These four skills are the columns on which modern EFL education depend on. There is a significant difference regarding the Chinese and German students'required key skills for being life-long English learners from the students'responses which can be traced back to the EFL policy and planning design. The overall comparison of the implementation of the EFL policy goals in higher educational institutions from both countries rates German students'skills higher than the Chinese students at when we consider it from the students'perspective. Further examinations of the results from the comparison attributes this to the higher communication skills, intercultural skills and skills to access the knowledge pertaining to the students'respective fields of specialization, which make interactions in English to be more fruitful together with a better planning outcome in German as compared to China. The result of the questionnaire revealed a tight connection to the pros and cons of the EFL policy. This suggests that more can be done at the student level and also at the institutional policy planning level so as to improve the EFL efficiency in both countries and more so in China. We suggest an EFL evaluation to be done at other perspectives as well.