Since the implementation of the 2001 curriculum reform and the release of the 2004 college English requirements, learner autonomy has become one of the most important research themes in the field of ELT in China, especially college English, reflecting the tendency of a learner-centered teaching approach. In this paper, I have reviewed 39 studies about language learner autonomy from 133 articles selected in key journals targeting language education published in mainland China from 2006 to 2016, so as to see what have been the features of related research through the years. In the review process, it is found that influencing factors, improving methods as well as evaluation approaches of learner autonomy have been the dominant themes that attract Chinese researchers' concern. Among them, improving methods of language learner autonomy have drawn even more attention from Chinese scholars, which have mainly addressed issues related to teachers, learner training and autonomous learning environment. It is also observed that empirical studies have been dominant through the decade and more types of students have been involved in research. However, I also note that there is still deficiency with such studies of language learner autonomy, so suggestions are provided for researchers in the field.

ESP textbook plays an important role in facilitating students to develop their profession-related language skills. However, ESP textbooks published in China are less developed and often criticized as ignoring the training of language skills. This research aims to reveal the specific problems of China’s ESP textbooks by conducting a multiple-case study. Three ESP textbooks used by ESP courses participants from G University in China were selected: “Computer Professional English Course” “Advertising English” and “Logistics English”. The research investigated their performance focusing on six aspects: coverage of language skills, text features, coverage of discourse functions, recycling, organization and difficulty. The content was analyzed by three different corpus tools. It is found that the three textbooks place too much emphasis on reading and vocabulary, lacking the training of listening skill, speaking skill, as well as the delivery of certain learning strategies. All three textbooks involve a wide range of discourse functions. The texts are informative academic texts, but organized by subject matter only, rather than a synthesis of subject matter, language points and language skills. There is scarce recycling of language points in two of the books and texts through all of them do not indicate a rising difficulty. It is concluded that the drawbacks of the three ESP textbooks far outweigh their merits. By uncovering problems of three ESP textbooks in China the research provides useful reference for future ESP textbook compilation.

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Around the world, colleges have been providing opportunities for students to participate in double-degree programs. In the past 30 years, double-degree education at tertiary level has been developing fast in China. While many studies focused on its positive effects, little attention was paid to its shortcomings. Through a focus group interview of five undergraduates from a Chinese university, this study revealed some underlying deficiencies of China’s double-degree education. The interview comprehensively uncovered participants’ motives, expectations, difficulties and reasons for quitting with regard to their double-degree programs. Colleges’ failure to live up to expectations (i.e., quality of courses, teachers, job prospects) and students’ lack of external support were found to be the main causes that led students to cease their studies. School policies and personal reasons also contributed to their decisions. This research provides advice for future curriculum planning and management of double-degree education from the perspectives of students, teachers and universities.

Perceptual dialectology (PD) is branch of sociolinguistics which investigates ordinary people’s (non-linguists) perceptions about different dialects in the language community they are living in. Most of the PD research was implemented in Europe or America, with little attention devoted to China, a country with many kinds of dialects. Applying Preston’s (1981) tool for PD studies: draw-a-map task, this research analyzed dialect maps drawn from 13 respondents, who were college students from Guangdong province, China. It aimed to find out how Guangdong residents perceive Chinese dialects. There are three major findings: (1) respondents used provincial boundaries to differentiate dialect areas but did not agree on their distribution; (2) Yue dialect and Wu dialect were thought to be more pleasant; (3) respondents were concerned about economic influence on dialects and dialect protection.