Chinese university students' attitudes towards their own English accent in Global Englishes: A grounded theory literature review

Abstract This study explores the variables influencing Chinese university students' attitudes towards their own English accent within a Global Englishes (GE) framework. A grounded theory literature review (GTLR) was employed as a method to review, select and analyse relevant literature. An iterative search and selection process guided by three inclusion criteria yielded 23 studies. The resulting theoretical model identified four main categories (i.e. awareness, identity, attractiveness, and affect) alongside five contextual variables (i.e. gender, major, English as a lingua franca (ELF) experience, geographical region, and year of investigation) that may influence their accent attitudes. These findings carry implications for policymakers to consider the impacts of GE in English education and for teachers to adjust teaching practices in the classroom. Context and implications Rationale for this study: More studies are needed on speakers' attitudes, particularly those speaking non‐standard/non‐native languages. In China, the great number of English speakers and the potential for a distinct variety make exploring speakers' attitudes essential. Why the new findings matter: The constructed theoretical models offer a comprehensive explanation of the complexity of Chinese university students' attitudes towards their own Chinese accent. Implications for teachers and policy makers: Students' recognition of Global Englishes (GE) may encourage acceptance of diverse accents – facilitating GE integration into education – although fully replacing current teaching practices is impractical. Teaching materials should incorporate diverse spoken varieties and emphasise communicative strategies. Online tools can assist teachers in designing cross‐border communicative tasks, fostering students' participation in an imagined global community. Assessment models prioritising intelligibility and communicative effectiveness may boost students' confidence and preserve their cultural identity. Chinese universities should hire teachers with varied English accents to enrich English‐use environments. Native English teachers could benefit from training on linguistic features specific to local English usage.