The Evaluation of Undergraduate English Language Major Curriculum Interdisciplinarity in China

Yanping Sun, Yang Liu and Jie Hu

SAGE Open, 2025, vol. 15, issue 3, 21582440251382544

Abstract: This study investigates the current state of interdisciplinarity within undergraduate English language major curricula in Chinese public universities, 7 years after the implementation of the National Quality Criteria for Undergraduate Teaching (Foreign Language Majors) ( NQC ). Grounded in integrationist theories of interdisciplinarity (Repko, Newell), this research conceptualizes interdisciplinarity as the structured integration of five academic disciplines: English language linguistics, English language literature, translation, comparative literature and transcultural studies, and international and regional studies. Drawing on responses from 1,210 students across eight universities, this study develops five empirically grounded and psychometrically validated competence scales, which are then employed in a series of multiple regression analyses to assess interrelationships among disciplinary domains. The findings indicate a generally high level of student-reported academic competence and significant positive associations among most disciplines—particularly in literature studies—suggesting substantive interdisciplinary integration. Moreover, notable disjunctions remain, especially within the subdimensions of translation practice, phonetics, and historical cognition. These patterns underscore both the achievements and the ongoing challenges of recent curricular reforms, and point to specific areas where deeper interdisciplinary alignment may be pursued. By introducing a set of robust disciplinary competence measures and demonstrating their utility in mapping curricular integration, this study offers a methodological framework that may inform future research on interdisciplinarity in diverse educational settings.

Keywords: interdisciplinarity; English language major; curriculum reform; multiple regression analysis; Chinese higher education; disciplinary integration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:sagope:v:15:y:2025:i:3:p:21582440251382544

DOI: 10.1177/21582440251382544

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