Chinese Postgraduates’ Perceptions and Use of Standard English in EMI Courses at a Malaysian University

Abstract

Notwithstanding the fact that non-native English speakers have become the dominant population, English learners are still expected to adhere to a native variety of standard English. This phenomenon is challenged by the Global Englishes paradigm, as the belief in native English as the standard norm ignores the diversity of today’s English. While previous studies have primarily explored standard English in terms of its selection, codification, and elaboration in the educational setting, few have examined its practical use. Thus, this study aims to advance our knowledge of standard English by investigating Chinese postgraduates’ perceptions and use of standard English during their English-medium instruction programmes at a public university in Malaysia. A two-part questionnaire was used to collect responses from a total of 50 Chinese postgraduate students from different faculties at this university. The responses were analyzed descriptively and interpreted from the Global Englishes paradigm. This study revealed a pluralistic and decolonialized perception of standard English. As for practice, standard English is employed in offline classroom interactions with lecturers, particularly in highly purposive communication. The findings yield a more detailed understanding of standard English in a higher educational setting, encouraging stakeholders to recognize a pluralistic perspective on standard English that empowers non-native English-speaking students.