Survey Questionnaire

The research questions of this study determined the methodologies used, with questionnaires regarding students’ views deemed most appropriate. In order to address the research questions, it was necessary to collect first hand data from English language students concerning their understanding, evaluation and

expectations of the English Language Teaching in universities. Attitude scales were employed and the results were examined and interpreted from critical perspective.

Questionnaires were used in this study for the following reasons: First, appropriate questions were designed beforehand to ensure the collection of needed data. Second, the same standardized questions were presented to the total sample. Third, they produced both qualitative and quantitative data. Both closed and open-ended format questions were used and each question was developed so that it would relate to the research questions. Questionnaires also enabled the research to undertake this study without having to take leave of absence from full-time employment.

The survey questionnaire was developed in the following stages. In December 2002, the numbers and types of questions to be used were decided based on a well-

established questionnaire survey: English 2000 by British Council. A preliminary draft questionnaire was developed and presented to a four-member panel of EFL teachers and researchers as well as specialists of applied linguistics at Dalian

Maritime University for a review. Revision was made to the preliminary version with reference to feedback from the EFL teachers and researchers and specialists of applied linguistics at Dalian Maritime University. In May 2003, a pilot study was conducted and received comments and suggestions regarding the format and contents. The following questions motivate the need to conduct a pilot study: a)

Methodologically, to what extent can the questionnaire design be effective, i.e. how well can the data collection instrument satisfy the need of collecting data? Is the spectrum coverage broad enough? b) Theoretically, to what extent will the data analysis result be related with the framework of social theory and literature discussed in the previous chapters? c) In what ways should the quantitative and qualitative data analysis process be carried out so that validity and reliability and other criteria of research work could be better achieved?

The general approach used in this pilot study was to collect questionnaire data from ten participants on their attitudes towards English use and English language teaching in China, specifically in Chinese universities, and follow-up interview data on their comments on the design of the instrument.

Following the preparation of the questionnaire, the researcher recruited ten participants for the pilot study. They were all 2001 undergraduates from the

with the researcher. This number and variability is sufficient to explore the research questions and to give necessary clues on stratification criteria for selection of

participants for the main study. These participants were chosen on the basis that they have undergone two-year English learning, a period required by the national College English curriculum, and had just took the national proficiency test: CET-4. Though not selected following strict random sampling procedure, these participants represent the most recent group of college students that had been covered by the 1999 national College English curriculum and had acquired complete required formal learning experience as to general English. Another important consideration of this somewhat judgmental selection is that their profiles were almost the same as the students who would be invited to participate in the main study.

As what was done in the main study, all instruments and procedures used in this study obtained prior approval by the Faculty and University Human Research Ethics committees. At the same time, before the actual conduct of the study, a written approval was obtained from the college administration where the participants were from so that access to students was acquired.

Questionnaire copies of bilingual version (both English and Chinese) were sent to the ten participants. No on-the-spot completion was asked and there was a high rate of return: nine participants returned their completed questionnaires (response rate of 90 per cent) four days afterwards. At this stage, none of the participants was informed that they are part of a pilot study and the fact that their expected role is to help with possible improvement in the future main study. It was not until the group interview conducted weeks after the returning of the questionnaire forms, in which eight of the nine participants showed up, that they were informed of the pilot nature of the study. In the interview, the following follow-up questions related to the questionnaire survey were first raised (Bell, 1999, p. 128):

1. How long did it take you to complete? 2. Were the instructions clear?

3. Were any of the questions unclear or ambiguous? If so, will you say which and why?

4. Did you object to answering any of the questions? 5. In your opinion, has any major topic been omitted? 6. Was the layout of the questionnaire clear/attractive? 7. Any other comments?

In the second session of interview, participants were invited to make comments on some general questions regarding English teaching and learning as supplement to the open-ended question at the end of the questionnaire in spite of the fact that a variety of written comments were already available.

As mentioned above, the questionnaire piloting was conducted with the same type of respondents who were later surveyed on the finished version of questionnaire. What is more, efforts were made to make sure that it was done under conditions similar to those that will exist during the real project. Taking into consideration of the

commonly assumed sensitivity of interviews, the follow-up interview was not conducted in a one-to-one manner. Focus-group interviews were conducted by inviting all the nine participants of the questionnaire survey to an office room in the Foreign Language Department of Dalian Maritime University. The whole process lasted about an hour and was recorded with a Samsung digital voice recorder and transcription is available originally in Chinese.

The main findings and comments identified in the analysis of questionnaire responses are as follows. Most participants took approximately 20 minutes to

complete the whole questionnaire. The direction part was basically skipped because, as participants claimed, they developed familiarity with such direction while doing Multiple Choice, a commonly used test item in CET-4 and -6 as well as in other tests. Many interviewees raised their doubts about Question 12: English is and will

continue to be a privilege in China’s education. Their comments are as follows: Interviewee A: It is illogical to say so as ELT in China is basically a failure. Interviewee B: It is hard to understand where the privilege comes from. Interviewee C: It’s inappropriate expression.

One participant said that he was not willing to answer Question 8: After China’s

entry into the WTO, it’s necessary that English become the second official language of China. He argued that the second official language in history bears a mark of

colonialism and it is something not acceptable by common Chinese citizen.

No one raised any question concerning the coverage of major issues in ELT in this questionnaire design. When asked about the layout of the questionnaire, several respondents made comments that they were not very comfortable with in different ways: the double-sided printing made it inconvenient to turn and read. Moreover, some participants pointed out that further classification of the questions with headings would be more helpful to give a clearer picture of the issues under discussion.

Based of these findings, necessary amendments were made correspondingly both to the layout as well as the content of the questionnaires. For example, interview questions were reorganised for the better. Although no generalisations should be made from this pilot study, the survey instrument and the management software proved valuable in the subsequent more extensive investigation regarding status quo of ELT in China, as well as in larger and more complex surveys in any related subject.

In July 2003, the final version of the questionnaire was completed with all the useful feedback incorporated into it. The resulting questionnaire (see Appendix III)

contained 50 closed questions with attitudes scales and one open-ended question. Questions in Section I centred on general issues concerning the use of English in China in WTO era, while those in Section II focused on ELT issues in Chinese universities.

In compliance with the ethical procedures, questionnaire copies of bilingual version (both English and Chinese) were sent to 100 university students in Dalian Maritime University, Dalian University of Technology and Northeast University of Finance of Economics who were invited to participate in the survey. No on-the-spot completion was asked. The rate of return was low as only 43 participants returned their