College English Teaching Research Articles

The multi-dimensional interactive teaching model significantly enhances the effectiveness of college English instruction by emphasizing dynamic engagement between teachers and students, as well as among students themselves. This paper explores practical strategies for implementing this model, focusing on four key aspects: deepening teachers’ understanding of the model through continuous learning, innovating interactive methods such as questioning techniques and practical activities, leveraging modern technology to integrate resources and track learning progress, and establishing a communication platform that centers on student participation. By adopting these approaches, the model fosters a student-centered classroom environment, improves comprehensive English application skills, and optimizes overall teaching quality.

The reform of College English education in chinese HVEsis urgently needed and it needs to align language instructions with students’ future jobs. Textbooks used in traditional education are designed mainly for general academic purposes. Textbooks used in traditional education can never be effective in motivating vocational students or equipping them with useful English to use at work. This paper fills this important vacuum with a thorough exposition about the systematic creation, usage, and evaluation of a multimodal digital textbook made from a specific kind of vocational text corpus. Two mutually supporting methodologies are adopted: the development, analysis, and mediating pedagogy of a specialized corpus embodying key vocational field’s (e.g., e-commerce, tourism, basic manufacturing, etc.) linguistic demand, and an intentional design for a multimodal digital textbook which integrates the corpus and interactive media based on cognitive learning theories. Furthermore, it studies the pedagogical adaptability of the textbook through a semesterlong mixed method case study of a large higher vocational college. It looks at effects to students participating, doing language tasks, thinking learning is worth it, and helping to change classrooms around. Findings show that use of the corpus based multimodal textbook can motivate student to learn and better outcomes are observed when students learn vocational English proficiency with relevant, authentic, scaffolded and interactive content. Integrate a model that gives a sustainable, data-driven, good solution for improving the college English teaching in higher vocational education area and make them as ready as possible to be a good employee for the industries.

With the rapid development of information technology, traditional College English teaching can no longer meet the needs of individualized and interactive learning. Many current models still rely on teacher-centered instruction and lack flexibility in promoting students’ initiative. This study aims to explore a multi-interactive teaching mode for English for Specific Purposes in a network environment. Based on constructivist learning theory and the goal-level theory of English learning, the model integrates classroom teaching, online self-learning, and multiple forms of evaluation. It emphasizes interaction among teachers, students, and digital resources to build an open and student-centered learning system. The findings show that this approach helps students set higher learning goals, improves learning motivation and efficiency, and enhances cooperation and participation. The study suggests that information technology can effectively support the reform of College English teaching, promote students’ independent learning ability, and create a sustainable environment for personalized and interactive education in higher institutions.

Foreign Language Teaching Motivation Shifts of University English Teachers in the Generative AI Era

In recent years, with the continuous development of educational digitalization, the integration model of SPOC (Small Private Online Course) and flipped classroom can integrate online teaching resources and offline teaching resources, overcome the shortcomings of traditional teaching models, and enhance students' enthusiasm for learning and autonomous learning ability. This model has become a popular direction in the reform of teaching models. Meanwhile, the advantages of the Zhihuishu knowledge graph platform, such as knowledge coherence and complete teaching modules, are highly beneficial for the promotion of the flipped classroom teaching model based on SPOC. This research will adopt methods such as literature review, investigation and research, questionnaire survey, and in-depth interview to analyze the application effect and optimization path of the flipped classroom teaching model based on SPOC on the Zhihuishu platform in college English teaching. The theoretical basis, practical effect and existing problems of the model were specifically analyzed, and corresponding optimization suggestions were put forward.

Employing an explanatory mixed-methods approach, this study compared the affordances of ChatGPT’s written corrective feedback (WCF) and human corrective feedback in fostering linguistic accuracy among Saudi EFL learners. Participants were 53 undergraduates at the University of Jeddah, divided into an experimental group (n = 26) and a control group (n = 27). Over eight weeks, both groups engaged in two 1.5-hour writing sessions per week. The experimental group received WCF from ChatGPT, while the control group received human WCF. Pretests and posttests assessed participants’ grammatical competence before and after the intervention. Error-flagging accuracy was evaluated by a panel of experienced university teachers of English. Semi-structured interviews with six experimental-group participants explored perceptions of ChatGPT. Quantitative findings indicated that ChatGPT was a more effective source of WCF than human feedback, as the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in the posttest. However, human feedback was slightly more accurate in error-flagging. Qualitative results revealed that most students valued ChatGPT for its precise error identification, though some considered human feedback clearer in explanation. The study concludes that ChatGPT can serve as a valuable supplementary tool for corrective feedback in Saudi EFL writing.

The Production-Oriented Approach (POA) drives students’ learning processes through task-based scenarios. In the context of the deep integration of digital technology and education, AI-enhanced POA can further improve teaching quality. This paper explores the construction of teaching design principles and practical methods for university English teaching under the AI-enabled POA framework. It argues that teachers should base their practices on the theoretical foundations of POA while aligning with the empowering dimensions of AI technology, thereby establishing teaching design principles that focus on goal orientation, human-machine collaboration, data loops, authentic contexts, and dynamic evaluation. In practice, teachers should create a precise teaching-feedback-optimization loop through a teaching management support system that encompasses pre-class, in-class, and post-class activities.

In the era of artificial intelligence, higher education is embracing new opportunities for pedagogical innovation. This study investigates the impact of integrating AI into college English teaching, focusing on its role in enhancing students’ critical thinking and academic engagement. A controlled experiment compared AI-assisted instruction with traditional teaching, revealing that AI-supported learning improved overall English proficiency, especially in writing skills and among lower- and intermediate-level learners. Behavioral analysis showed that the quality of AI interaction—such as meaningful feedback adoption and autonomous revision—was more influential than mere usage frequency. Student feedback further suggested that AI-enhanced teaching stimulated motivation and self-efficacy while also raising concerns about potential overreliance and shallow engagement. These findings highlight both the promise and the limitations of AI in language education, underscoring the importance of teacher facilitation and thoughtful design of human–AI interaction to support deep and sustainable learning.

Artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly important role in college English teaching. Guided by Krashen's Input Hypothesis in second language acquisition, this study uses the large language model Doubao to adapt a news text from China Daily into listening material for the College English Test Band 4 (CET-4). The research explores audio production and vocabulary list creation for the listening material, clearly demonstrating the application of artificial intelligence in college English news listening teaching. This approach effectively addresses problems in traditional teaching such as outdated news content and difficulty in obtaining appropriately leveled materials, providing an effective path for improving teaching efficiency and quality.

The design of the OBE-based flipped classroom model of college English pro-posed in this article centers around the framework of “defining teaching objec-tives, restructuring content, designing the teaching process and designing teaching evaluation.” The entire instructional design process adheres to an out-come-oriented approach, employing backward design for teaching content and activities with an integration of online and offline components. It can provide an efficient model for college English teaching to enhance students’ comprehen-sive language skills and independent learning competence.

Evaluation system of college english teaching quality based on fuzzy information of artificial intelligence

Against the backdrop of globalization and deepening international exchanges, intercultural communicative competence (ICC) has become a core literacy requirement for college students in the new era, and integrating ICC cultivation into college English teaching has become an inevitable trend in the reform of English language education. This study, rooted in the researcher’s background in translation studies, years of college English teaching experience, and research focus on intercultural communication and communication studies, aims to address the current shortcomings in college English teaching—such as overemphasis on linguistic proficiency while neglecting cultural awareness, disconnected teaching content from real intercultural scenarios, and single-mode teaching methods. By adopting a mixed research method combining literature analysis, teaching case studies, and questionnaire surveys, this study first clarifies the connotation and structural dimensions of ICC based on recent interdisciplinary theories (including cross-cultural communication, translation studies, and second language acquisition). It then explores the intrinsic connections between translation practice, college English teaching, and intercultural communication: translation, as a “cultural mediator,” can effectively enhance students’ cultural sensitivity and contextual adaptation; teaching experience provides practical insights for designing student-centered activities; and intercultural communication theories offer a theoretical framework for optimizing teaching content. On this basis, the study constructs a “three-dimensional integration” ICC training model with “goal orientation, content integration, method innovation, and evaluation guarantee” as its core. The model takes “developing linguistic proficiency + cultural cognition + communicative strategies + cultural empathy” as the overall goal, integrates cultural content into language teaching through translation tasks (e.g., translating culturally-loaded texts), adopts diversified teaching methods (case analysis, intercultural simulation, project-based learning), and establishes a dual evaluation system combining formative and summative assessment. To verify the model’s effectiveness, a 16-week teaching practice was conducted at Liaoning University of International Business and Economics, involving 240 non-English major sophomores. The results show that students in the experimental group demonstrated significant improvements in cultural awareness (e.g., recognizing cultural differences in discourse), intercultural communication confidence, and the ability to handle cultural conflicts in translation compared to the control group. This study enriches the theoretical research on ICC cultivation in college English teaching by integrating translation studies and communication theories. Practically, it provides an operable teaching framework for colleges and universities, especially those with translation programs, to promote students’ comprehensive English literacy and meet the social demand for intercultural talents.

English reading ability is the core component of college students' comprehensive English competence, and it is also an important tool for them to acquire professional knowledge and participate in international exchanges. At present, college students in China have some problems in English reading, such as lack of vocabulary, lack of cultural background knowledge and improper use of reading skills, which lead to low reading efficiency. This paper systematically analyzes the strategies to improve college students' English reading ability from the five dimensions of language foundation, reading skills, cultural integration, teaching models and autonomous learning. Combining empirical research and teaching practice, it puts forward targeted suggestions to provide reference for college English teaching reform and students' autonomous improvement.

In the digital media era, the frequency and depth of intercultural communication have been unprecedentedly enhanced, with digital platforms such as social media, video websites, and instant messaging tools becoming the main carriers of cross-cultural information exchange. However, cultural differences, language barriers, and improper discourse design often lead to communication misunderstandings or even failures, restricting the effectiveness of intercultural communication. This study, integrating the author’s background in translation, experience in college English teaching, and research focus on intercultural communication and dissemination, explores the discourse strategies of intercultural communication in the digital media era and their actual communication effects. By adopting a mixed research method combining questionnaire survey, in-depth interview, and content analysis, this study takes 400 non-English major college students from Liaoning University of International Business and Economics and 20 practitioners in digital media intercultural communication as research objects. The results show that the main discourse types of intercultural communication in the digital media era include narrative discourse, interactive discourse, and explanatory discourse; the key discourse strategies to improve communication effectiveness involve cultural adaptation, contextualized expression, and accurate translation of cultural connotations; and there are significant differences in the acceptance and influence of different discourse strategies among college students, with interactive discourse strategies showing the highest communication effect. Based on these findings, this study suggests that in college English teaching, it is necessary to strengthen the cultivation of students’ digital media intercultural discourse competence, and digital media platforms should optimize intercultural communication discourse design with the help of translation principles to promote smooth cross-cultural information transmission.

Cultural education has long been a focal topic in foreign language teaching. While it is widely acknowledged that foreign language teaching should encompass both linguistic and cultural instruction, current practices in Chinese college English education reveal a significant imbalance. This study examines the phenomenon of “Chinese traditional culture aphasia”—the inability of students to articulate Chinese cultural elements in English—within college English programs at local universities in Shandong Province. By analyzing curriculum design, teaching materials, and pedagogical approaches, the paper highlights the overemphasis on Western cultural content and the neglect of Chinese cultural integration. It further proposes actionable strategies to address this imbalance, aiming to enhance students’ cross-cultural communication competence and promote the global dissemination of Chinese culture.

In the context of the ongoing transformation of higher education in China, College English instruction is undergoing a critical shift from a focus on instrumental language training toward a more holistic, values-oriented educational paradigm. The Understanding Contemporary China textbook series, designed for international audiences, conveys a distinctive pedagogical concept: centering on Chinese topics, guided by the goal of fostering cultural identity, and relying on English as the medium of global communication. This concept offers new theoretical direction and practical frameworks for the reform of College English teaching. This study investigates how the pedagogical philosophy of Understanding Contemporary China can be translated into concrete instructional strategies. The research was conducted over 12 weeks with 58 non-English major undergraduates at a Chinese university. Grounded in the textbook’s conceptual framework, the study involved the reconstruction of teaching content, the innovation of pedagogical approaches, and the design of interactive classroom activities. The aim was to explore integrated pathways for developing language competence alongside value orientation and cultural expression. Findings reveal that students demonstrated measurable improvements in several domains, including intercultural communication skills, critical engagement with China-related topics, and enhanced coherence in English writing and speaking. At the same time, the study identified several practical challenges, such as difficulties in shifting teachers’ pedagogical beliefs, insufficient course materials aligned with the new concept, and disparities in students’ language and cognitive abilities. By grounding the research in real classroom practice, this paper proposes a set of actionable strategies for optimizing College English instruction. It aims to offer empirical insights and reflective perspectives for the cultivation of students’ capacity to articulate Chinese narratives in English. Ultimately, the study contributes to the broader goal of embedding cultural identity and national discourse within foreign language education in Chinese universities.

To address the fragmented use of technical terms in vocational college English teaching and to reduce students’ grammatical errors, this study proposes a Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory with Domain Adaptation (BiLSTM-DA) model, built upon the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) architecture. The model incorporates a domain adaptation mechanism and utilizes dynamic word embeddings to generate context-aware representations of specialized vocabulary. It also integrates an error-driven attention mechanism to accurately identify common grammatical mistakes. Based on this model, an intelligent English teaching framework tailored to the needs of vocational education is developed. In addition, a three-dimensional evaluation system is constructed, encompassing technological, pedagogical, and ecological dimensions. Experimental results show that: (1) Compared with mainstream models, BiLSTM-DA achieved an error coverage rate of 93.7%, exceeding Robustly Optimized Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers for Education Data Understanding (RoBERTa-EDU) by 8.2%. For long-tail domain-specific term recognition, it reached an F1-score of 85.4%, representing a 14.6% improvement over Text Graph Convolutional Network with Global and Local Topology (TextGCN-GLT). Moreover, its response latency remained within 0.8 s, significantly lower than the 1.8 s of Decoding-Enhanced BERT with Attention Masking, Version 3 (DeBERTa-V3), thus more effectively supporting the real-time interaction requirements of vocational English classrooms. (2) The BiLSTM-DA-based teaching model enhances students’ recognition of technical terms, grammatical error detection, knowledge internalization, and skill transfer. This model also reduces teachers’ grading workload, alleviates students’ learning anxiety, and promotes educational equity. This study enriches the theoretical and methodological foundations of vocational English instruction and provides practical guidance for integrating artificial intelligence into vocational education.

The rapid emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is reshaping language education worldwide, compelling teachers to adapt their pedagogy and professional identities. This article examines how Chinese university English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers are adjusting their teaching methods in response to the AI era, drawing on the author’s personal reflective teaching practice in tertiary classrooms. Recent advances in AI-assisted tools—from automated writing evaluation and intelligent feedback systems to AI-generated learning materials and conversational chatbots—offer new opportunities to enhance EFL instruction. Chinese university instructors have begun integrating these tools to provide more personalized writing feedback, facilitate flipped learning, and engage students in novel ways. The reflective findings illustrate how AI integration has improved students’ writing revision and participation, while also challenging teachers to redefine their roles and maintain the human touch in teaching. Through critical engagement with literature from 2020-2025, the article contextualizes these pedagogical shifts within broader trends in AI-mediated language education and the evolving teacher identity in the digital age. It discusses the benefits of AI (such as increased efficiency and learner autonomy) alongside concerns (such as bias, academic integrity, and teacher displacement), emphasizing the need for ongoing professional development and ethical guidance (UNESCO, 2023; Hockly, 2023; Kasneci et al., 2023). The article concludes that AI can enrich EFL teaching in Chinese higher education when used as a complementary tool, with teachers’ reflective adaptation being key to harnessing AI’s potential while safeguarding pedagogical values.

With the deepening of globalization, intercultural communication has become an indispensable part of social life, and college English teaching, as an important channel for cultivating students’ intercultural communication competence, is facing increasingly high requirements. However, pragmatic failure in intercultural communication has always been a prominent problem in college English teaching, which seriously affects the effectiveness of students’ intercultural communication. This study, combining the author’s background in translation, experience in college English teaching, and research direction of intercultural communication and communication, takes college students as the research object to explore the types, causes of pragmatic failure in intercultural communication in college English teaching, and put forward corresponding teaching improvement strategies. Through methods such as questionnaire survey, interview and classroom observation, this study finds that the main types of pragmatic failure of college students in intercultural communication include pragmatic linguistic failure and sociopragmatic failure. The causes are mainly the lack of cultural input in college English teaching, the insufficient attention to pragmatic knowledge teaching, and the influence of students’ native language pragmatic transfer. Based on the research results, this study suggests that college English teaching should strengthen cultural input, integrate pragmatic knowledge into teaching, and carry out more intercultural communication practice activities to improve students’ intercultural pragmatic competence and reduce the occurrence of pragmatic failure.

Background: Traditional college English instruction in China has been largely teacher-centered, which often limits student engagement and language skill development. The growing adoption of blended learning—integrating face-to-face and digital instruction—has presented a promising solution. The Superstar mobile learning platform has emerged as a tool to support this innovative approach. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Superstar-based blended learning in enhancing English language proficiency among college students. It also sought to assess students' engagement and their perceptions of the blended learning environment. Methodology: A quasi-experimental design was employed with two groups of students enrolled in a college English course at Shenyang University. The control group (n=60) received traditional instruction, while the treatment group (n=62) engaged in Superstar-based blended learning over eight weeks. Pre-tests and post-tests assessed listening, reading, and writing skills using the CET-4 framework. A 5-point Likert-scale questionnaire measured student engagement and perception. Data were analyzed using SPSS 26 through paired and independent samples t-tests. Results: Students in the treatment group showed significantly greater improvements in listening, reading, and writing scores compared to the control group (p < .05). Engagement levels were significantly higher in the treatment group across behavioral, emotional, social, and cognitive dimensions. Perception data indicated strong agreement with the pedagogical, social, and technical design of the Superstar-based learning model. Conclusion: The Superstar-based blended learning model significantly enhances college students’ English proficiency and engagement. Students positively perceived the platform’s instructional design and flexibility. These findings support the integration of mobile-based blended learning tools in college English instruction to improve educational outcomes.