Chinese English Teachers' Attitudes towards a Multicultural Approach to English Language Teaching in China's College Classrooms

The global use of English in diverse cultural contexts calls into question the dominant representations of Anglo-American culture in English language textbooks. To contribute to the discussion of this issue, this study aimed to investigate the attitudes of Chinese College English teachers towards a more balanced treatment of culture in English language teaching when they need to follow a required textbook. It examined the results of a focus group interview, in which a total of six female Chinese English teachers were invited to share their opinions and practices of teaching English culture in China's college classrooms. It was noted that cultures other than Anglo-American culture received inadequate attention and focus in the teachers' teaching process because they lacked both control over syllabus design and sufficient awareness of the relationship between global cultures and English today. Without gaining solid institutional support, altering perception of the English language and adjusting professional identity, it seemed difficult for the teachers to exert greater autonomy in the classroom to enhance their students' communicative competence and teach English truly as an international language.