A study was conducted in China to find out how secondary school students felt about learning English as a foreign language.

Abstract

Several factors can be cited as to why this study is relevant: As a first step, this study shows that social status plays an important role in rural Chinese students' ability to learn English, as well as the extent to which English can be viewed as cultural and other capital. Students from rural China are frequently confronted with mitigating factors that frequently impede their progress to higher education, necessitating that they work harder during their educational journeys than their urban counterparts. Teachers in rural areas may benefit from tracing their paths in terms of 'investment' in the future, as this will help to highlight flaws in the current system that can be addressed by the individual teacher. Class-based "Social capital explains a person's interest and commitment to English language study."

Second, this study allows students to share their own stories of joy, disappointment, and fear as they progress through their English learning journey. Finally, this study allows us to look at how students in rural China think about English acquisition in terms of their current economic and social resources. Teachers in rural areas may be able to help their students overcome the disadvantages of studying English in rural areas thanks to this study. In the absence of adequate economic and social capital, it is reasonable to assume that these factors influence students' self-perceptions (standards, respect, and values) as well as academic success. It also sheds light. on how educational contexts are reproduced (see Bourdieu, 1971 and 1990; Bowles & Gintis, 1976; Apple, 1995; Giroux, 1990). All those who believe that schools serve to perpetuate class hierarchy and inequality.