From Localism to Global Citizenship: A Theoretical Framework of Ideological and Political Education in College English Curriculum Based on English as a Lingua Franca

Abstract

In the contemporary Chinese college English teaching policy, the ideological and political education in the curriculum occupies the core position. The existing teaching research ignores the long-standing theoretical tension in daily teaching practice. The dominant localized teaching hypothesis has virtually weakened students’ cultural self-confidence, which is the key ability cultivated by the national curriculum reform. English as a lingua franca (ELF) provides a coherent theoretical framework for solving this long-standing contradiction. This study draws on the mature academic achievements of ELF to identify its intersection with the ideological and political goals of the curriculum at the conceptual level. The key literature includes Jenkins’s discourse on language ownership, Seidlhofer’s reconceptualization of ELF into effective communicative practice, and Baker’s empirical research on cross-cultural language dynamics. Through comparative analysis, three completely different fit models are obtained. ELF weakens the ideological hegemony based on native speakers and recognizes the diversity of English in the global context. Chinese English has gained formal academic recognition, which consolidates the theoretical basis of students’ cultural self-confidence. ELF teaching has shifted classroom practice from rigid imitation of native speakers to contextualized and effective cross-cultural communication. This practice-oriented orientation supports the orderly development of students’ global citizenship. ELF also restores the neglected humanistic dimension in language teaching, which is consistent with the mission of universities in moral education and comprehensive talent training. This paper puts forward targeted teaching strategies for non-English major students. The revised teaching objectives, culturally diverse reading materials integrated into Chinese native discourse, and communication-oriented evaluation criteria have replaced the traditional accuracy-centered evaluation mechanism.