Understanding Minority Students’ Challenges and Needs for College English Curriculum Development

Guide to College English Teaching (2020) advocated fostering students’ intercultural competence in the College English curriculum. Ethnic students who came from minority areas to inland universities were faced with huge difficulties in English intercultural learning due to their insufficient English proficiencies and intercultural awareness. The reasons were related to the underdeveloped economy and language policies in their minority settlements. And yet, little research has probed into minority students’ confronted challenges and needs for College English in the context of inland universities, where Han students account for the majority. To address this lacuna, this study interviewed 36 minority students from Xinjiang, Tibet and Mongolian Autonomous Regions and 6 experienced College English teachers in one inland University. Results revealed that most minority students showed ambition in English learning although they thought their current English abilities lagged behind Han students. They were also interested in intercultural knowledge and displayed a sense of ethnic pride while conveying their cultures. As for teachers, they paid attention to the cultivation of students’ intercultural competence, but they never considered the unbalanced English levels and different needs of Han and minority students in the provision of knowledge. Suggestions are put forward in the way of differentiating teaching through an appropriate grouping of ethnic minority students, thus establishing a learning environment tailored for minority students. Implications for College English curriculum development in terms of minority students’ perceived challenges and needs, as well as institutional support are also discussed.