Computer-Assisted Interactive Integration of Traditional Chinese Cultural Elements into College English Instruction: A Mixed-Methods Quasi-Experimental Study ()
1. Introduction
In recent years, college English education in China has been given a broader mission than language training alone. The China Education Modernization 2035 (The CPC Central Committee, & the State Council, 2019), the Guidelines for the Construction of Ideological and Political Education in Higher Education (Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, 2020), the College English Teaching Guidelines (College Foreign Language Teaching Steering Committee of the Ministry of Education, 2020), the national policy on the inheritance and development of excellent traditional Chinese culture (General Office of the CPC Central Committee, & General Office of the State Council, 2017), and the Declaration on the Construction of New Liberal Arts (Working Group for the Construction of New Liberal Arts, 2020) all point to a shared direction: higher education should integrate knowledge transmission, competence development, value guidance, cultural confidence, and international communication. Under this paradigm, college English programs need to help students improve their listening, speaking, reading, writing, and translation abilities and at the same time, help them understand China, interpret China, and communicate Chinese culture using English.
This demand is closely related to the development of the process of studying English in China. The role of English as an important means of academic interaction across cultures cannot be underestimated, and its usage for international communication is becoming even more common today. However, if the focus of English classes at universities is still limited to introducing students to English-speaking cultures, they will learn about the traditions and holidays celebrated in other countries, about their values and social norms, but will not manage to communicate their own culture in English. It is possible to describe the situation from above as Chinese cultural aphasia, which means inability to communicate one’s native culture in a foreign language fluently despite having general language proficiency (Cong, 2020). For university students, this challenge may result in a lack of confidence in expressing their culture and engaging in intercultural dialogue. Based on empirical research conducted by scholars, it is possible to say that both teachers and students understand the need for cultural heritage preservation; however, they do not possess linguistic skills required for this (Dong & Yuan, 2021). Similar issues have also been addressed in studies conducted regarding the incorporation of traditional Chinese culture in foreign language learning and ideological-political education (Qiu, 2023).
Earlier research has provided us with many insights in this regard. It is a well-known fact among scholars in intercultural communication that language and culture go hand in hand. Byram (1997) emphasized that intercultural communicative competence includes not only linguistic knowledge but also attitudes, cultural knowledge, skills of interpreting and relating, and critical cultural awareness. Kramsch (1993) pointed out that language is not a neutral code, but a symbolic system to construct and negotiate cultural meanings. From a Chinese perspective, Wen’s Production-Oriented Approach emphasizes the connection between input, output, teacher mediation, and meaningful use of language, which is particularly relevant to culture-related English output tasks (Wen, 2015). In the field of college English teaching, researchers have also called for a shift from a purely instrumental view of English to a more integrated view that combines language learning, cultural understanding, moral education, and national cultural expression (Cai, 2021; Wang, 2021; Zhang & Wang, 2020).
From the angle of curriculum ideology and politics, previous studies have also pointed out the necessity to redesign English teaching materials and classroom activities. Huang (2020) argued that English teaching materials can be re-examined from an ideological-political perspective, but Cheng (2020) pointed out that foreign language courses should avoid superficial value insertion and instead rely on deeper instructional design. In practice, researchers have explored various ways to integrate Chinese cultural materials into English courses, like textbook adaptation, cultural comparison, translation exercises, oral presentations, and project-based learning. With the digital teaching development, online platforms, multimedia resources, and intelligent tools have been used to enrich cultural input and broaden classroom interaction. These studies show that traditional Chinese culture offers valuable content for vocabulary learning, translation practice, writing, speaking, and intercultural comparison. However, they also point out a common issue: students might show interest in Chinese cultural topics, but their ability to express these topics accurately and appropriately in English is limited. In many classrooms, Chinese cultural content is still treated as supplementary material rather than being systematically connected with teaching objectives, task design, learning process, and assessment.
There are therefore several problems that deserve further study. First, existing research has sufficiently explained the importance of integrating traditional Chinese culture into English teaching, but there is still a lack of classroom-based empirical studies that examine how this integration works in regular college English instruction. Second, many teaching designs remain at the level of content addition. Cultural knowledge is introduced, but students are not always guided to transform it into English explanations, translations, discussions, or presentations. Third, although digital platforms and AI-supported tools are increasingly used in college English teaching, their role in organizing cultural input, interaction, language practice, feedback, and assessment has not been clearly described. In other words, the connection between cultural integration, computer-assisted instruction, and students’ English output still needs more concrete evidence.
Based on these considerations, this study designs and evaluates a computer-assisted interactive approach to integrating traditional Chinese cultural elements into college English instructional activities. The study takes two intact first-year classes at Y University as the research context and combines questionnaires, teacher interviews, a one-semester quasi-experimental intervention, pre- and post-tests, follow-up questionnaires, and student interviews. Moso Teach, also known as Lanmo Cloud Class, was used as the main teaching platform. Questionnaire Star was used for questionnaire collection, while DeepSeek and Doubao were used in selected tasks as supplementary tools for expression comparison and revision under teacher guidance.
This study attempts to answer the following questions:
1) What is the current status of integrating traditional Chinese cultural elements into college English instructional activities?
2) How do teachers and students perceive the value and difficulties of this integration?
3) How can computer-assisted instruction support cultural input, classroom interaction, English output, and learning feedback?
4) To what extent does the instructional design improve students’ English expression of traditional Chinese cultural content and their related learning attitudes?
5) What practical strategies can be proposed for optimizing the integration of traditional Chinese cultural elements into college English instruction?
2. Concepts and Theoretical Framework
2.1. Traditional Chinese Cultural Elements
In this study, traditional Chinese cultural elements refer to cultural resources that have been formed, transmitted, and renewed in the long development of Chinese civilization. They include festivals and customs, idioms and historical stories, food culture, clothing traditions, calligraphy, traditional aesthetics, philosophical ideas, moral values, and patterns of social behavior. However, they are no longer regarded as mere cultural phenomena. As a part of the teaching material in college English classes, they only acquire pedagogical significance after being reformed as linguistic and communicative materials.
The selection of cultural items in this research is based on three criteria. The first criterion is that the content must have some connection with what the students learn about in their existing English lessons, so that cultural learning would not be considered as something apart from the lesson itself. Secondly, the content chosen must fit in with the requirements for learning English, especially those related to vocabulary, translation, oral presentation, and composition. The third criterion is that the content must enable the students to grasp the concept of cultural continuity and modern communicative needs. For example, festivals, idioms, and culinary culture that are known to the learners can serve as starting points, whereas concepts like harmony, people-oriented thinking, and cultural confidence are more complex and will need elaboration and comparisons.
2.2. College English Instructional Activities
College English instructional activities involve activities carried out in class and outside class aimed at enhancing the language skills, intercultural competence, and communication skills of the learners. In regular classes, such activities would normally consist of reading, listening, vocabulary building, translating, discussing, writing, presenting orally, cooperating with peers, and reflecting. In this research, the integration of traditional Chinese culture into college English teaching was carried out by designing the relevant teaching activity to help the students go from culture recognition to English communication.
This design method cannot be considered to just add cultural knowledge at the end of a lesson. Instead, the process of learning already includes cultural knowledge. Before class, the students learn the corresponding cultural information and expressions through the online sources. In class, students make comparisons between Chinese and English expressions and examine their connotations and meanings, and complete some vocabulary exercises or translations. After class, they give presentations either in writing or orally, which can take the form of describing a traditional Chinese festival, translating an expression with cultural connotation, telling the story behind an English expression, etc. Thus, the acquisition of culture is linked to language skills and communicative output.
2.3. Computer-Assisted Language Instruction
In the present study, computer-assisted language instruction is the use of technological and intelligent tools to facilitate the provision of cultural input, task organization, interaction in the classroom, language practice, and learning feedback. Previous studies on computer-assisted language learning have indicated that digital technologies can be used to aid language input, interaction, language autonomy, feedback, and testing, not simply as instruments for presenting content (Chapelle, 2001; Warschauer & Healey, 1998). Thus, computer assistance in this study will be considered a learning environment that links online resources to in-class and out-of-class English activities.
The Moso Teach platform, alternatively referred to as Lanmo Cloud Class, was used for teaching purposes. The teacher utilized the platform to distribute cultural texts, video materials, vocabulary, translation activities, discussion questions, and presentations pertaining to Chinese traditions. On their end, the learners used the platform to preview information, complete assignments, participate in discussions, and receive feedback. The questionnaire data was gathered using the Questionnaire Star platform before and after the intervention. DeepSeek and Doubao were not used as automatic writing tools. In this study, they were used only as supplementary language-support tools in several controlled tasks, mainly for comparing English expressions, checking sentence clarity, and revising short drafts about Chinese cultural topics. Students were allowed to ask for alternative expressions, grammar suggestions, or comparison between two English versions, but they were not allowed to submit AI-generated answers directly as their own work.
Technology was thus used to create a fun, productive, and measurable culture of learning. It helped in organizing information, activities, output, and feedback on the culture. However, the use of the technology in no way affected the function of instructions by teachers and the cognitive functions of the learners. The instructions from the teacher were necessary for selecting the correct cultural information, correcting mistakes and judging the output of the learners.
2.4. Theoretical Framework
The theoretical basis underlying this research is composed of four theories that are mutually connected. The four theories include: cultural transmission theory, language-culture interaction theory, intercultural communication competence, and output-based language learning. These theories explain the rationale behind integrating traditional Chinese culture into the English language curriculum at the college level.
According to cultural transmission theory, culture exists and develops through inheritance, reinterpretation, and communication processes. In terms of the educational process, the transmission process goes beyond simple information transmission, but it also involves the participation of the learner in the process of comprehension, selection, manipulation, and communication of cultural messages. This makes the English classes at colleges not only a way of acquiring information on Chinese culture, but also a way of transferring cultural messages to other cultures.
The theory of language-culture interaction reinforces the close connection between language and culture. According to Sapir (1921), language has an intrinsic relationship with the social facts while Halliday and Kramsch state that language is a semiotic system embedded into the fabric of society and culture (Kramsch, 1993; Halliday, 1978). Learning the English language, therefore, goes beyond merely grasping the grammatical structure of the language. Students learn to recreate meaning through one language into another when expressing their own sayings, festivals, traditions or beliefs in English.
Intercultural communicative competence provides a pragmatic perspective for instructional design and evaluation. While Hymes initially moved attention away from grammar towards using language appropriately within social situations (Hymes, 1972), Byram (1997) added knowledge and attitudes, interpretive and discovery competencies, and critical cultural awareness. Deardorff (2006) emphasized the need for measuring intercultural competence in higher education. Therefore, not only is it crucial to have knowledge about other cultures but also for Chinese students to know how to interpret certain elements of their own culture in an effective manner. Accordingly, teaching traditional elements of Chinese culture in English classes cannot be limited to just presenting cultural objects or doing automatic translation. It is important that students learn how to compare messages and choose the right terms.
In addition to being an effective pedagogical approach for culture-based learning, the Production-Oriented Approach also offers a systematic instructional design, connecting the input with the output process. As stated by Wen (2015), the approach comprises three stages that include motivation, enabling, and assessment; the mediatorship of the teacher becomes essential in order for the change from input into output to take place. Within the framework of this model, students would be introduced to the cultural materials through technological tools and carry out activities such as vocabulary exercises, translation, discussions, and comparisons before producing their English content. Assessment and feedback are employed to enhance both linguistic accuracy and cultural clarity.
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Note: The above framework presents an indication that the integration of culture in college English language instruction is more of an interactional and dynamic phenomenon rather than mere incorporation of cultural content in the lessons taught. With the systems theory, the external environment determines the general teaching direction; the curriculum objectives determine the content and tasks selected for use; the teacher’s resources, student needs, and CAI determine the classroom teaching process; and feedback from the assessment determines the teaching objectives, resources, tasks, and support needed for learning. In this way, the framework forms a continuous cycle of adjustment and improvement.
Figure 1. Theoretical framework for integrating traditional Chinese cultural elements into college English instruction.
The above theories altogether provide the foundation for this research work. The theory of cultural transmission enables us to know why it is important to incorporate cultural aspects of China in teaching the English language. The theory of language culture interaction provides insight into why there is a need to incorporate cultural meanings with language forms. Intercultural communication competence provides the target behavior in which students get the ability to transmit cultural information from China across cultures. Lastly, the production-oriented approach explains how cultural input becomes English output.
On this account, the current study adopts the systems approach in developing the framework for instruction. As presented in Figure 1 above, incorporating Chinese culture in college English classes cannot be viewed in isolation but involves a number of interrelated elements, including the educational environment, the objectives of the curriculum, teacher competence, student needs, computer-assisted instruction, task design, and assessment techniques. The external environment comprises globalization, national policies toward culture, curriculum ideology and politics, the development of liberal arts, and the informatization of education. Curriculum goals define the cultural content and language exercises to be included. Teacher resources and student needs determine the intensity, level of difficulty, and format of cultural incorporation. CAI supplies tools, resources, communication, and assessment. Task development converts cultural material into instructional tasks through cultural comparisons, translation practices, group discussions, oral presentations, and writing exercises. Evaluation measures student performance in learning outcomes and provides feedback to improve teaching goals, resources, and tasks.
3. Research Design
3.1. Participants and Research Context
The study was conducted at Y University and involved 10 college English teachers and 91 first-year students from two intact classes. Class 1 was assigned as the experimental class, comprising 44 students, while Class 3 served as the control class, containing 47 students. The two classes were intact parallel classes arranged by the university before the study, rather than classes formed by the researcher. They were selected because they belonged to the same grade, used the same College English syllabus, and had similar learning schedules. No individual random assignment was conducted, so the study is reported as a quasi-experimental comparison. During the semester, both classes were taught by the same instructor. The two classes had the same number of contact hours (4 class hours per week), and followed the same schedule of the curriculum, textbook units, attendance requirements, homework load, and evaluation standards at the end of the course. The difference was that the experimental class received a more structured integration of traditional Chinese cultural topics, digital resources, and output-oriented tasks, whereas the control class followed the regular College English teaching arrangement.
This comparability was shown in the pre-test. In Part I of the pre-test, where the understanding of expressions about Chinese culture was checked in English, the experimental class showed an accuracy rate of 21.73%, while the control class got 22.04%. In Part II, when the students were supposed to give explanations in English regarding the Chinese idiom, the accuracy rates were 20.45% and 21.28%. Finally, in Part III (regarding the festive culture), they got 15.91% and 19.15%.
These findings indicate that both classes have started with a relatively low but comparable level in English expression of traditional Chinese cultural content. Since the data available for this draft mainly consists of aggregated classroom data, the baseline comparison is described in terms of descriptive results, not inferential statistics.
The teaching experiment was conducted for one semester, starting from September 19, 2024 to January 13, 2025. During this time, the control class got regular college English instruction, while the experimental class got instruction that combined traditional Chinese cultural elements via computer-assisted interactive activities. The same general teaching schedule, course requirements, and assessment orientation were maintained for both classes, so that the main difference between the two groups lay in the instructional design and the degree of cultural and computer-assisted integration. The 10 participating teachers provided supplementary information about the current status, perceived value, and practical difficulties of integrating traditional Chinese culture into college English instruction.
Before data collection, the participants were informed of the purpose of the study and the voluntary nature of their participation. Questionnaire and interview data were used only for research purposes, and all personal information was anonymized in the analysis and reporting.
3.2. Research Design and Procedure
This study employed a mixed-methods quasi-experimental design. Since the study was conducted in regular teaching conditions, the two intact classes could not be randomly reorganized. This classroom reality was taken into account in the research design. The pre-test was therefore used to check the initial comparability of the two classes, and the findings are interpreted as evidence from a natural classroom setting rather than as the result of a fully randomized experiment. Quantitative data were collected via questionnaires and pre/post-tests, whereas qualitative data were gathered from teacher and student interviews. Before the teaching experiment, questionnaires and teacher interviews were employed to assess the current integration status of traditional Chinese cultural elements into college English teaching, and also to gather perceptions from teachers and students. The findings from this stage guided the design of the teaching intervention.
During the intervention, the control class got regular college English instruction, and the experimental class got computer-assisted instruction, which integrated traditional Chinese cultural elements via cultural comparison, interactive processing, and language-output tasks. After the intervention, both classes finished a teaching-effectiveness test. The experimental class also finished a follow-up questionnaire, and five students were chosen for interviews to give supplementary qualitative evidence. The research procedure is listed in Table 1.
Table 1. Research procedure.
Stage |
Main Activity |
Purpose |
Pre-investigation |
Student and teacher questionnaires; teacher
interviews |
To identify the current status, perceptions, and main
problems of cultural integration from both student
and teacher perspectives |
Experimental
preparation |
Selection of comparable classes and preparation
of test instruments |
To ensure basic comparability and prepare the teaching
intervention |
Intervention |
CAI-supported cultural comparison, classroom
interaction, and output tasks in the experimental
class |
To integrate traditional Chinese cultural elements with
English learning |
Post-evaluation |
Post-test, follow-up questionnaire, and student
interviews |
To evaluate learning outcomes and students’ perceptions |
Optimization |
Synthesis of quantitative and qualitative findings |
To propose practical strategies for improving cultural
integration in college English education |
3.3. Instructional Intervention
In the regular college English course, a one-semester intervention was conducted for the experimental class. It did not introduce an extra culture course; instead, traditional Chinese cultural elements were incorporated into existing teaching units and language tasks. The intervention was guided by a sequence of cultural input, processed through English, and then output, followed by feedback. In each unit, students first access cultural materials via digital resources, then compare Chinese and English expressions under teacher guidance, and finally complete an oral or written task in English.
Moso Teach, also known as Lanmo Cloud Class, was used as the main teaching platform. Before class, the teacher gave short readings, pictures, videos, vocabulary lists, and guiding questions related to the cultural topic. Students have previewed the materials and done basic preparation tasks on the platform. During class, the teacher organized vocabulary explanation, cultural comparison, translation practice, group discussion, and presentation activities. After class, students submitted short paragraphs, translation exercises, or oral presentation drafts through the platform. In selected tasks, DeepSeek and Doubao were used as supplementary language-support tools. Students could refer to them when comparing possible English expressions or revising culture-related explanations, but the final output had to be checked, adjusted, and completed by the students themselves under teacher guidance.
Students were allowed to use DeepSeek and Doubao for three different types of assignments. Firstly, during the idiom unit, students could use the software to contrast potential English translations of culturally-loaded idioms, such as “self-contradiction.” Secondly, in the traditional aesthetics and cultural values unit, students could use the software to proofread and edit short English sentences and check whether the sentence structure would be easy to understand for foreigners. Finally, prior to the final presentation or writing assignment of cultural introduction, students could use the software to refine their draft after completing their initial translation. For each assignment supported by the AI software, students first translated the sentences themselves and then checked the suggested versions by the software before submitting a revised version along with a brief explanation.
The teacher monitored this process in three ways. Firstly, the teacher provided some samples of appropriate questions that could be asked from the application. These included “Provide two natural expressions in English to describe this Chinese festival for an international student,” “Correct the grammar in this sentence without changing its meaning,” and “Which of these two translations do you think is more clear?” Secondly, students were advised against asking the program to write their entire assignment for them. Thirdly, the teacher examined their initial drafts, drafts after the assistance from the AI, and the final draft.
Table 2. Unit-based plan of the instructional intervention.
Stage/Unit |
Cultural Topic |
Digital Support |
Classroom Activity |
Student Output |
Feedback and
Assessment |
Preparation |
Understanding
traditional Chinese
culture in English
learning |
Lanmo Cloud Class;
Questionnaire Star |
Course introduction;
pre-task discussion;
baseline questionnaire
and pre-test |
Short reflection on
previous experience
of expressing Chinese culture in English |
Diagnostic feedback on
common problems in
vocabulary, translation,
and cultural explanation |
Unit 1 |
Festivals and
customs, such as
the Spring Festival
and Mid-Autumn
Festival |
Short videos, cultural
readings, pictures,
vocabulary lists |
Cultural comparison
between Chinese and
Western festivals;
group discussion
on festival meanings |
Short oral explanation
or written paragraph
about a Chinese
festival |
Feedback on cultural
accuracy, key
vocabulary, and
organization |
Unit 2 |
Chinese idioms
and historical
stories |
Digital texts, images,
online examples;
DeepSeek and
Doubao for expression
comparison |
Explanation of idiom
stories; comparison of
literal and
communicative
translation |
English explanation
of one Chinese idiom
and its cultural
meaning |
Feedback on clarity,
completeness, and
appropriateness of
expression |
Unit 3 |
Food, clothing,
and daily culture |
Lanmo Cloud Class
resources; pictures
and short clips |
Vocabulary practice;
cultural comparison;
guided translation of
culture-loaded words |
Group presentation
on one selected
cultural item |
Peer comments and
teacher feedback on
pronunciation,
vocabulary, and
cultural interpretation |
Unit 4 |
Calligraphy,
traditional aesthetics,
and cultural values |
Reading materials,
images, short videos;
AI-assisted revision
tools |
Reading discussion;
paraphrasing cultural
concepts; sentence
revision |
Short essay or
presentation draft
introducing a cultural
value or art form |
Feedback on language
accuracy, coherence,
and depth of explanation |
Unit 5 |
Telling Chinese
stories in English |
Lanmo Cloud Class;
DeepSeek and Doubao
for draft revision under
teacher guidance |
Group rehearsal;
teacher-student
consultation; revision
of final work |
Final oral presentation
or written cultural
introduction |
Comprehensive
assessment based on
content, language,
cultural clarity,
interaction, and
improvement |
Note: DeepSeek and Doubao were used only for selected expression comparison and revision activities. They were not used in the pre-test and post-test, nor could students use them when conducting the effectiveness-of-teaching test.
The control class followed the same general college English schedule during the semester, but traditional Chinese cultural elements were not organized through a systematic computer-assisted instructional design. Therefore, the main difference between the two classes lies in the experimental class’s structured use of cultural topics, digital resources, guided interaction, and output-oriented practice. The main intervention plan is presented in Table 2.
On the whole, the intervention aimed at assisting learners in progressing from the awareness of cultural knowledge to its expression through the medium of English language. Digital technologies were utilized in the provision of learning materials, task management, interactive engagement, and documentation of parts of the learning experience. Nevertheless, the role of a teacher was vital in terms of the choice of relevant cultural material, correction of erroneous utterances, and explanation of Chinese culture meanings.
3.4. Instruments
Three primary instruments were utilized in this research, namely, questionnaire survey, semi-structured interview, and teaching effectiveness test. These questionnaires aimed at evaluating the comprehension levels of students and teachers regarding Chinese traditional culture in the context of teaching English in colleges. The survey was conducted using Questionnaire Star, and all questions in the surveys were graded using the five-point Likert scale that included answers from 1, which indicates a strongly disagreeing level, to 5, which means strongly agreeing.
There were 15 items in three dimensions for the students’ questionnaire, including the following: first, the students’ interests and understanding of traditional Chinese culture; second, the present experience in studying Chinese cultural information in English courses; and third, the students’ ability to introduce Chinese culture in English lessons. The questionnaire for teachers had 10 questions in two dimensions: the teachers’ understanding of Chinese cultural awareness and their attitude towards incorporating Chinese culture in English lessons.
The complete structure of the two questionnaires is shown in Table 3.
Semi-structured interviews were used to supplement the questionnaire data. Teacher interviews focused on the current situation of cultural integration, difficulties in selecting suitable cultural materials, students’ language-output problems, and teachers’ views on computer-assisted instruction. After the intervention, five students from the experimental class were interviewed. The student interviews mainly explored their learning experience, perceived changes in cultural confidence, difficulties in expressing Chinese culture in English, and opinions on the use of digital platforms and AI-supported tools.
Before and after the intervention, a test of effectiveness of teaching was administered to evaluate the students’ skills in comprehending and conveying traditional Chinese culture in English. Three sections were set; one concerning cultural vocabulary, another concerning explanations of idioms and lastly one concerning expression of festivals. Section one involved 50 target cultural expressions and was scored according to the number of correct or acceptable expressions. The score given to “小满” could be “Grain Buds”. Section two and three were scored using the rubrics method since both involved answering questions using English. This was necessary because the assessment aimed at measuring the extent to which participants could deliver the cultural idea and convey their explanations using comprehensible English and organizing them properly. Therefore, to provide clarity as to what constitutes an acceptable response, a six-point scoring rubric was adopted, as shown in Table 4 below.
Table 3. Student and teacher questionnaires used in the study.
Respondent |
Dimension |
Item No. |
Item description |
Student |
Interest in and understanding
of traditional Chinese culture
(SD1) |
1 |
I am interested in Chinese culture. |
2 |
I think it is important to understand Chinese culture. |
3 |
I would like to learn Chinese culture in an English class. |
4 |
I think learning Chinese culture can increase my interest in English learning. |
5 |
I think it is necessary to learn English expressions related to Chinese culture. |
Current experience of
learning Chinese culture
in English classes (SD2) |
6 |
I have learned English expressions related to Chinese culture in English
classes. |
7 |
I am interested in the Chinese cultural content currently taught in English
classes. |
8 |
I think the amount of Chinese cultural content in English classes is limited. |
9 |
I think the Chinese cultural content taught in English classes is relatively
simple. |
10 |
I think my ability to express Chinese culture in English still needs to be
improved. |
Confidence in traditional
Chinese culture (SD3) |
11 |
I think learning English can help introduce Chinese culture to the world. |
12 |
I am willing to tell Chinese stories well in English. |
13 |
I feel confident when learning Chinese culture in an English class. |
14 |
I feel proud when I can introduce Chinese culture to others in English. |
15 |
I feel proud when people from other cultures understand Chinese culture. |
Teacher |
Understanding of Chinese
cultural awareness (TD1) |
1 |
I understand the importance of cultural awareness in English teaching. |
2 |
I attach importance to cultural awareness as part of English subject
competence. |
3 |
I think Chinese culture is as important as target-language culture in
English teaching. |
4 |
I think Chinese cultural teaching can influence students’ English learning. |
5 |
I read relevant materials to improve my own English expression of Chinese
culture. |
Attitudes toward traditional
culture-related teaching
practice (TD2) |
6 |
I think Chinese culture should be included in English classes. |
7 |
I consider integrating Chinese culture when preparing lessons. |
8 |
I share learning materials related to Chinese culture in teaching. |
9 |
I guide students to learn English expressions of Chinese culture. |
10 |
I assign English homework related to Chinese culture after class. |
Table 4. Rubric for parts II and III of the teaching-effectiveness test.
Score |
Description |
5 |
The answer is culturally accurate, complete, clearly organized, and expressed in
natural English, with only minor language errors. |
4 |
The answer is mostly accurate and understandable, with some minor omissions
or language problems that do not affect communication. |
3 |
The answer gives the basic cultural meaning and can be understood, although
the explanation is simple and contains several language errors. |
2 |
The answer contains limited cultural information, unclear explanation, or
frequent language errors that partly affect understanding. |
1 |
The answer is very incomplete, largely inaccurate, or difficult to understand. |
0 |
No valid answer is provided, or the answer is irrelevant to the task. |
In this study, responses scoring 3 or above were considered acceptable. Scoring 3 implied that the respondent had communicated the underlying cultural message in English that could be understood despite the fact that the answer was rather simplistic or had some language errors. Answers receiving scores less than 3 were considered unacceptable because they did not communicate the cultural message clearly enough or had language issues.
For the open-ended questions, two college English instructors separately scored the responses using the same rubric. Inter-rater agreement was determined prior to discussion. Agreement scores for Parts II and III were 90.1% and 86.8%, respectively, while their weighted Cohen’s kappa coefficients were κ = 0.801 and κ = 0.743, respectively. Following independent scoring, both raters discussed their disagreements and arrived at an agreement score. The pre-test and post-test both used the same test structure to enable comparison between the two stages. But since the task types were similar, a complete practice effect might not be totally avoided. So, the test results were analyzed together with questionnaire and interview data, rather than being used as the sole evidence for evaluating the effect of the intervention.
The six repeated items were selected from the original 15-item student questionnaire because they were closely related to the expected affective outcomes of the intervention: learning interest, willingness to learn Chinese culture in English class, experience of learning English expressions related to Chinese culture, learning confidence, perceived communicative value of English learning, and willingness to tell Chinese stories in English. These six items are S1, S3, S6, S11, S12, and S13. They were tested on the experimental group both pre-intervention and post-intervention for comparison purposes.
3.5. Reliability, Validity, and Data Analysis
SPSS was employed to assess the reliability and validity of the questionnaire data, and to analyze the questionnaire and test results. Before the analysis, responses from the Questionnaire Star were checked and coded. Incomplete or invalid responses were excluded, and the valid data were entered into SPSS for further processing.
The reliability and validation of the student and teacher questionnaires are shown in Table 5. The student questionnaire was examined for internal consistency and construct suitability. Its Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.8512, the KMO value was 0.8190, and Bartlett’s test of sphericity was significant. These results indicate that the student questionnaire had acceptable reliability and construct suitability, while the teacher questionnaire was mainly used for descriptive and supplementary analysis.
For the teacher questionnaire, only 10 valid responses were received. As a result, KMO and Bartlett statistics could not be performed since it would have no meaning when it comes to performing validity through factor analysis using a very small number of responses. In light of this, content validation was performed on the teacher questionnaire. This involved the evaluation of the items from the perspective of three college English teaching-research experts.
These results indicate that the questionnaire data were suitable for further statistical analysis.
Table 5. Reliability and validity of student and teacher questionnaires.
Questionnaire |
N |
Number of Items |
Reliability/Validation method |
Result |
Student
questionnaire |
91 |
15 |
Cronbach’s alpha; KMO;
Bartlett’s test |
α = 0.8512; KMO = 0.8190;
Bartlett’s Sig. = 0.000 |
Teacher
questionnaire |
10 |
10 |
Content validation by expert
review |
Items were judged to match the research
questions and teaching context |
Note. KMO and Bartlett statistics were not reported for the teacher questionnaire because of the small number of teacher responses.
Content validity was mainly ensured through the alignment between the research questions, questionnaire dimensions, test tasks, and instructional objectives. The student survey addressed issues of learning interest, classroom experience, and cultural competence. The teacher survey focused on cultural knowledge and teaching methodologies. Also, the test of teaching effectiveness entailed writing English sentences based on Chinese culture ideas, interpreting Chinese idioms, and answering English culture questions regarding festivals.
The descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation were applied when it came to analysis of the quantitative data. The results from the questionnaires were applied in describing the perceptions of the students and the teachers about the process of integrating culture in college English education. Data obtained from the tests were employed in finding out how the intervention influenced the students’ performance in conveying the traditional Chinese culture in English language. The open-ended questions were scored using the rubric shown in Section 3.4.
The information acquired through the interview was supplementary qualitative data. Interviews with teachers gave important information on the present state of affairs in regard to the problem being studied and its conditions, especially those related to the challenges and cultural education. Considering the interventions made, the interviews with students were conducted to learn about how the students learned and developed as they used the computer to learn cultural education. These qualitative findings were then analyzed together with the results from the questionnaire and test.
Since the available test data were mainly class-level aggregated data, this study reports descriptive trends rather than full inferential statistical results. Therefore, the findings should be interpreted as evidence of possible instructional improvement in the present teaching context, rather than as definitive causal proof. If student-level raw data are available for future analysis, paired-samples t-tests, independent-samples t-tests, ANCOVA, and effect-size calculations may be added to strengthen the statistical support of the study.
4. Results
4.1. Current Status of Cultural Integration
For the student questionnaire, 91 valid responses were collected from the two classes. A total of 10 teacher questionnaires were distributed, and all 10 were returned as valid responses. Some selected results of the student and teacher questionnaires are presented in Table 6.
Table 6. Selected baseline results of the student and teacher questionnaires.
Respondent |
Item |
N |
Mean |
SD |
Agree/Strongly agree |
Students |
I am interested in Chinese culture. |
91 |
4.23 |
0.72 |
76, 83.5% |
Students |
I think it is necessary to learn English expressions related to
Chinese culture. |
91 |
4.16 |
0.76 |
73, 80.2% |
Students |
I have learned English expressions related to Chinese culture in
English classes. |
91 |
3.18 |
0.91 |
42, 46.2% |
Students |
The amount of Chinese cultural content in English classes is limited. |
91 |
3.71 |
0.83 |
60, 65.9% |
Students |
The Chinese cultural content taught in English classes is
relatively simple. |
91 |
3.64 |
0.86 |
57, 62.6% |
Students |
My ability to express Chinese culture in English still needs to be
improved. |
91 |
4.08 |
0.69 |
72, 79.1% |
Teachers |
Chinese culture should be included in College English classes. |
10 |
4.30 |
0.67 |
9, 90.0% |
Teachers |
I consider cultural elements when preparing lessons. |
10 |
4.00 |
0.82 |
8, 80.0% |
Teachers |
I assign English homework related to Chinese culture after class. |
10 |
3.10 |
0.88 |
4, 40.0% |
As shown in Table 6, the majority of the respondents maintained a positive attitude towards studying Chinese culture through College English classes. For instance, the mean rating for the item, “I am interested in Chinese culture,” was 4.23, where there were 76 out of 91 responses (83.5%) who agreed or strongly agreed with the statement. Meanwhile, for the second statement, “I think it is important to learn English expressions about Chinese culture,” the mean rating was fairly high at 4.16, where 80.2% gave favorable responses. Thus, this shows that students were not against the idea of teaching Chinese culture inside English classes. Rather, they were eager to learn how to discuss Chinese culture using English.
However, from the questionnaire results, there is a discrepancy between students’ willingness to learn and their actual experience in English classes. For instance, concerning the item “I have learned English expressions related to Chinese culture in English classes”, the mean score was 3.18, which is rather low relative to other attitude items. Moreover, 65.9% of the students thought that the amount of Chinese culture included in English classes is low. Furthermore, 62.6% of the students thought that the Chinese culture involved in English classes is quite simple. Additionally, 79.1% of the students thought that their capability of delivering Chinese culture through English is not sufficient yet.
According to the findings from the teacher questionnaire, it was observed that a similar situation was evident here. Out of the ten teachers involved, nine of them felt strongly that culture needs to be incorporated within the College English lesson. However, eight of them also admitted that they took cultural issues into consideration while preparing the lesson for delivery. But four of them always assigned homework to the learners in order to help them learn English based on Chinese culture. This score stands at 3.10. It means that even though the teachers knew how important it was to include culture in their lessons, they only did it theoretically.
4.2. Changes in Students’ English Expression of Traditional
Chinese Culture
Both classes took a pre-test and a post-test in terms of their English expressions about traditional Chinese culture. The tests were composed of three different questions including the English expressions about the Chinese traditional cultural terms, the explanation about the Chinese idiom in English, and the culture related question in English. The results are presented in Table 7. In Part I, the numbers refer to the total number of correct or acceptable cultural expressions. In Parts II and III, the numbers refer to the number of students whose responses reached an acceptable level according to the scoring rubric. Therefore, the table reports descriptive counts and percentages rather than mean scores.
From Table 7, it is noted that both groups showed improvement, but there were more improvements made by the experimental group in all three factors. In Part I, the experimental group showed improvement from 478 correct responses in the pre-test to 1321 correct responses in the post-test, with an accuracy rate rising from 21.73% to 60.05%, while the control group had an increase in correct responses from 518 to 791, with an accuracy rate from 22.04% to 33.66%.
The competence of the learners in representing cultural ideas using English language was also enhanced in Part II. Most learners were unable to provide a specific definition of the idea of the idiomatic expression “self-contradiction” in the pre-test. Besides, the exercise was not easy for them since they had problems in translating the story and vocabulary terms like “spear” and “shield”. Nonetheless, in the post-test, thirty-four learners in the experimental group gave responses that reached the acceptable level while sixteen learners in the control group gave correct answers.
Table 7. Correct or acceptable responses in the teaching-effectiveness test.
Class |
Test |
Count |
Percentage |
Part I |
Part II |
Part III |
Part I |
Part II |
Part III |
Experimental class
(N = 44) |
Pre-test |
478 |
9 |
7 |
21.73% |
20.45% |
15.91% |
Post-test |
1321 |
34 |
39 |
60.05% |
77.27% |
88.64% |
Gain |
843 |
25 |
32 |
38.32 pp |
56.82 pp |
72.73 pp |
Control class
(N = 47) |
Pre-test |
518 |
10 |
9 |
22.04% |
21.28% |
19.15% |
Post-test |
791 |
16 |
28 |
33.66% |
34.04% |
59.57% |
Gain |
273 |
6 |
19 |
11.62 pp |
12.77 pp |
40.42 pp |
Note. In Part I, the count refers to the total number of correct or acceptable cultural expressions. In Parts II and III, the count is the number of students whose responses were at an acceptable level.
In Part III, the students are required to give an answer on the culture question about festivals in English. For the pre-test, 7 correct answers were recorded, while for the post-test, 39 correct answers were noted. This means that in this part of the test, the experimental group answered correctly from 7 to 39, while the control group was able to increase their correct answers from 9 to 28. Since Spring Festival is a known topic among the culture questions, and similar tasks were done in the pre-test and post-test, this finding must be interpreted with caution.
Based on the findings in Table 7, it may be noticed that the descriptive trend for students’ English expressions about traditional Chinese culture is positive, both before and after the experiment. The experimental class showed improved performance in the vocabulary, idioms, and festival description after the computer-assisted cultural integration program in one semester. Compared with the control class, the experimental class has more gains in all three parts of the test. Given the use of intact classes and descriptive statistics, these findings should be seen as classroom-based evidence of improvement, not as definitive causal proof.
4.3. Changes in Learning Attitudes and Willingness to
Communicate
Before and after the intervention, the experimental class completed the same six attitude-related items selected from the 15-item student questionnaire. The reliability of the six-item set was acceptable, with Cronbach’s alpha values above 0.70 in both the pre-test and the post-test. This made it possible to use the six items to observe changes in students’ attitudes after the teaching intervention. A total of 44 valid paired responses were obtained. Table 8 presents the mean scores of the six repeated attitude items completed by the experimental class before and after the instructional intervention. To make the source of these items clear, the original item numbers from the 15-item student questionnaire are reported together with the item content.
Table 8. Mean scores before and after the instructional design in the experimental class.
Dimension |
Original Item Number and Item Content |
N |
Pre Mean |
Pre SD |
Post Mean |
Post SD |
English learning attitude |
S1. I am interested in Chinese culture. |
44 |
4.14 |
0.725 |
4.79 |
0.483 |
S3. I would like to learn Chinese culture in an English class. |
44 |
3.78 |
0.605 |
4.49 |
0.507 |
S6. I have learned English expressions related to Chinese
culture in English classes. |
44 |
3.23 |
0.912 |
4.24 |
0.711 |
S13. I feel confident when learning Chinese culture in an
English class. |
44 |
3.17 |
0.882 |
3.90 |
0.661 |
Perceived communicative
value and willingness |
S11. I think learning English can help introduce Chinese
culture to the world. |
44 |
4.17 |
0.483 |
4.56 |
0.428 |
S12. I am willing to tell Chinese stories well in English. |
44 |
3.21 |
0.815 |
3.84 |
0.580 |
As can be seen from Table 8, the mean score for all six items was higher after the instruction. There was an increase in students’ interest in Chinese culture from 4.14 to 4.79, and the students’ willingness to learn Chinese culture in English lessons was improved from 3.78 to 4.49. It is also obvious that the item, “I have learned English expressions about Chinese culture in English lessons” got a better score from 3.23 to 4.24. This suggests that after the intervention, students had more direct classroom experience of learning how to express Chinese culture in English.
Students’ confidence also improved. The mean value for “I feel confident in learning Chinese culture in an English class” rose from 3.17 to 3.90. As far as communication is concerned, higher scores were provided by the students to “I think learning English will help me introduce Chinese culture to the world” and “I am ready to narrate Chinese stories in English.” This indicates that the instructional design appeared to be associated with increased learner interest and, and help them realize the connection between English language learning and Chinese culture communication.
Generally, there was an agreement between the results from the interviews and those of the questionnaire. Some of the students indicated that the discussion in class on cultural issues, group works, and English language assignments helped them appreciate the process of learning English more and developed their interest in Chinese culture. Some of the students also noted that they felt more comfortable explaining festivals, idioms, and customs in English. However, one student indicated that some of their fellow students who did not have high English language skills required further help during group works. This suggests that differentiated guidance is still necessary in future teaching practice.
5. Discussion
These results concur with the existing literature on the benefits of embedding cultural material and ethics in foreign language classes (Dong & Yuan, 2021; Qiu, 2023; Cai, 2021; Wang, 2021; Zhang & Wang, 2020; Huang, 2020; Cheng, 2020). In addition, this paper supports the pedagogical rationale for the POA framework, which presupposes that the learners construct meaning out of the input by means of output practice (Wen, 2015). This paper further demonstrates empirical support by providing classroom data, which shows that cultural content may prove to be more effective if it is used in conjunction with language teaching, technological resources, comparative analysis, and output activities. Essentially, traditional Chinese culture not only functions as prior knowledge but should also be converted into comparative, translational, and communicative activities.
These results also provide some insight into the nature of pedagogic computer assistance. In the classroom, the digital platform mainly helped the teacher put texts, pictures, short videos, vocabulary tasks, and students’ submissions in one place. This made the cultural topics easier to prepare before class and easier to return to after class. Moreover, computer-assisted teaching made it possible to provide repeated exposure, interaction between students, and feedback. This may be one reason why students in the experimental class remembered more cultural expressions and gave fuller explanations in the post-test.
In the light of language-culture relations, the intervention assisted the students in relating the culture with English language. They were made aware that learning about cultural knowledge would be incomplete if it was not related to English expressions. It was important for students to interpret their culture in the form of English sentences. It was essential since intercultural communication demanded mediation between cultures.
From the viewpoint of the systems approach, the integration of traditional Chinese cultural components hinges on the interaction of several elements, such as course objectives, instructional content, technological tools, teaching guidance, students’ involvement, assignment organization, and evaluation. The results indicate that mere periodic inclusion of cultural elements is inadequate. For ordinary College English classes, cultural content works better when it is not added at the end of a unit, but built into vocabulary work, translation practice, discussion, writing, and teacher feedback.
6. Optimization Framework for College English Instruction
Based on the questionnaire, test, and interview results, this study proposes an optimization framework for integrating traditional Chinese cultural elements into college English instruction. This framework is also consistent with Tyler’s curriculum rationale, which emphasizes the alignment of educational objectives, learning experiences, organization, and evaluation (Tyler, 1949). In this study, these elements are reflected in the alignment of cultural objectives, teaching content, classroom tasks, digital support, and assessment.
First, cultural objectives should be aligned with language-learning objectives. Traditional Chinese culture should not be treated as occasional background information. It can be integrated into vocabulary learning, translation practice, reading discussion, oral presentation, writing, and project-based learning so that students develop both cultural understanding and English expression ability.
Second, cultural materials must be systematic and appropriate for different levels. In College English teaching, students can be introduced to various cultures through materials such as festivals, idioms, historical stories, food culture, clothes, calligraphy, architecture, regional culture, intangible cultural heritage, and modern cultural symbols. These must match their linguistic proficiency and future communication needs.
Third, cultural comparisons must form a routine approach to teaching. Due to differences in culture, history, language use and communication styles, students need to engage in comparative analysis tasks to learn how meaning is conveyed from one language to another. It will help them avoid direct translation and express themselves more appropriately in context.
Fourth, computer-assisted instruction must meet the aims of cultural input and language output. Texts, images, sound recordings, video clips, discussion forums, vocabularies, collaborative writing tools, and translation exercises among others may be used to provide more conducive learning environments. The functions of technology go beyond just providing content; they include structuring interactions, giving feedback, and recording learning outcomes.
Finally, assessment must consider not only linguistic proficiency but also communicative competence in the culture. Apart from traditional exams, teachers might conduct oral presentations, translations, projects, peer reviews, and reflective journals to assess students’ ability to describe cultural ideas, contrast cultural differences, and present traditional Chinese culture in certain communicative contexts.
7. Conclusion
This study examined the integration of traditional Chinese cultural elements into college English instruction through a computer-assisted interactive design. The pre-investigation showed that teachers and students recognized the value of traditional Chinese culture in English teaching, but classroom integration remained limited in content organization, task design, and opportunities for English output.
After a one-semester intervention, compared with the control class, the experimental class had more descriptive gains in cultural vocabulary, idiom explanation, and festival-related expression. The follow-up questionnaire and interviews further confirm higher motivation for learning, more exposure to English expressions of Chinese culture in the classroom, improved learning confidence, and higher motivation for communication in English of traditional Chinese culture.
It is implied from the research that successful integration necessitates an approach to instructional design that incorporates cultural components, language activities, digital support, classroom interactions, and assessment. These approaches can aid learners in developing their English proficiency skills, intercultural communicative competence, and cultural self-confidence simultaneously.
8. Limitations and Future Research
This study has several limitations. First, the participants came from one university and two intact classes, which limits the generalizability of the findings. Second, the intervention lasted only one semester. Third, the analysis mainly relied on descriptive statistics because student-level raw data were not fully reported in the manuscript. Fourth, the pre-test and post-test used the same test structure and similar task types, which may have introduced a possible practice effect. Fifth, the specific computer-assisted tools and process data need to be described in greater detail. Overall, the results can be considered as empirical evidence from a College English class and not from a randomized experiment.
Future research may include larger samples, longer intervention periods, randomized or matched-group designs where possible, validated language proficiency measures, inferential statistical tests, effect-size reporting, and richer process data from digital learning platforms. Further studies may also examine how the instructional model can be adapted to different majors, regions, and digital learning environments.
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the Teaching Reform Project of Higher Education in Zhejiang Province During the 14th Five-Year Plan Period: “Construction of an Innovative Teaching Model for English Majors Guided by Cultural Communication” (jg20220624), and the Teaching Reform Project of Higher Education in Shaoxing in 2025: “Research on Innovative Approaches to Integrating Yue Culture into English Teaching in the Context of Digital Intelligence” (SXSJG202506).