THE IMPACT OF ENGLISH ON THE CULTURAL IDENTITY OF CHINESE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS STUDYING IN MALAYSIA

The number of Chinese students studying abroad has increased in recent years, with English becoming a mandatory language. Language learning affects cultural identities to varying degrees. This study investigates how English affects the cultural identity of Chinese students studying in Malaysia. A mixed-method approach was used, involving samples of 45 Chinese students from Malaysian universities. Data were gathered using a questionnaire with five sections, exploring participants’ attitudes toward the influence of English on their Chinese cultural identity. Interviews were conducted to explore how English affects their cultural identity. Descriptive statistical analysis and content analysis were used to analyse collected data. Results and findings indicate that English does influence the Chinese cultural identity of most bilingual or multilingual Chinese students. However, it is not viewed as a dominant language among Chinese students in Malaysia. This study proved that the English language boosts cultural confidence levels, which could be crucial for future research. However, this study is limited due to the lack of numerical data to support the findings that could represent Chinese students as a whole. This study could be improved by increasing the number and diversity of respondents and conducting further research to support the findings.