ISSN: 2226-6348
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The compulsory education English curriculum emphasises cultural awareness and expressing traditional Chinese culture. This study surveyed 214 primary school English teachers from six cities in the Pearl River Delta using a cross-sectional questionnaire. It examined self-reported competence in cultural knowledge, English expression, classroom integration, and regional culture integration, alongside barriers and professional development needs. Three experts reviewed 20 core items, with all item-level content validity indices reaching 1.00. Cronbach’s alpha ranged from .921 to .935 across dimensions. Teachers generally rated their competence positively (M = 3.80, SD = 0.85). Regional culture integration scored highest (M = 4.14), while English expression scored lowest (M = 3.61). Group differences by teaching experience and training frequency were not statistically significant. Major barriers included curriculum integration, insufficient resources, and difficulties expressing Chinese culture in English. Teachers prioritised support for activity design, English expression, and teaching materials and digital resources. These findings suggest a possible pedagogical transformation gap between textbook cultural content and classroom activities. Professional development should connect cultural knowledge with English expression, curriculum alignment, activity design, and classroom application.
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