A Study On The Relationship Between Chinese And Western Cultural Identity And English Learning Motivation Of Senior High School Students

The New English Curriculum Standards for Senior High School(2017 edition,2020 revision)has clearly put forward the requirement for cultivating students’ language ability and cultural awareness,and cultural factors in foreign language teaching are getting more and more attention.As an important factor affecting intercultural communication and foreign language learning,cultural identity is drawing attention from researchers,and domestic and international studies have proved that there is indeed a correlation between cultural identity and learning motivation.However,many domestic studies have focused on the influence of college students’ cultural identity on their English learning,but few studies have been conducted on senior high school students;and most of the existing studies concern the relationship between Western cultural identity and English learning motivation of EFL learners in the Chinese context,but rarely mention the influence of traditional Chinese cultural identity on English learning motivation.This study was conducted with senior high school students from Grade One to Grade Two in one high school in Mangshi,Dehong Prefecture,to explore the relationship between Chinese and Western cultural identity and English learning motivation of these students,focusing on the following three questions:(1)What is the current situation of senior high school students’ traditional Chinese cultural identity,British-American cultural identity,and English learning motivation?(2)What is the relationship between senior high school students’ Chinese and Western cultural identity and their English learning motivation?(3)Are there any differences in senior high school students’ Chinese and Western cultural identity and English learning motivation in terms of demographic variables?This study employed questionnaire and interview methods to conduct a real-name tracking survey of more than 400 senior high school students with an interval of one month.After analyzing 321 valid questionnaires using SPSS 23.0 and interviewing 6 students,the following findings were obtained:(1)Senior high school students’ cultural identity with traditional Chinese culture was higher than that with British-American culture;most senior high school students had a neutral attitude towards English learning,and their English learning motivation was mainly instrumental and cultural,while situational motivation was insignificant.(2)There was a significantly negative correlation between senior high school students’ traditional Chinese cultural identity and English learning motivation,but there was a significantly positive correlation between Western cultural identity and English learning motivation.(3)The differences between Chinese and Western cultural identity of senior high school students only occurred in gender,but not in grade,major,and nationality,that is,male students identified more with Chinese traditional culture than female students,while female students identified more with British-American culture than male students;students’ English learning motivation differed in gender and major,but remained consistent in grade and nationality,that is,female students were more motivated to learn English than male students,and liberal arts students were more motivated to learn English than students majoring in science.This study broadens the research subjects of cultural identity theory to senior high school students,enriches the study of English learning and cultural identity of senior high school students in the Chinese context,and deepens the practical significance of the theory.The results of the study will contribute to:(1)understanding the current situation of senior high school students’ traditional Chinese cultural identity,British-American cultural identity,English learning motivation,and the relationship between cultural identity and English learning motivation;(2)exerting the educational value of the English subject in the Chinese context,and providing implications for how to cultivate senior high school students’ cultural awareness and enhance their cultural confidence in a multicultural context;(3)inspiring senior high school teachers to better implement dual cultural education in English teaching,guiding students to form productive bilingualism and improving students’ motivation to learn English.