Bridging the Gap: Addressing Challenges and Advancing Strategies for Cultivating Core Competencies in Senior High School English Education

Abstract

The integration of core competencies into senior high school English education has become a central objective of China’s ongoing curriculum reform. These competencies-encompassing language ability, cultural awareness, thinking skills, and learning strategies-represent a paradigm shift from knowledge acquisition to holistic learner development. Yet, despite policy-level emphasis, classroom implementation faces several persistent obstacles: superficial understanding of core competencies among teachers, teacher-centered pedagogies, limited opportunities for authentic language use, and narrowly defined assessment systems. This paper analyzes these challenges in depth and offers strategic recommendations, including enhancing teacher professional knowledge, promoting inquiry-based instruction, expanding experiential learning, and building comprehensive assessment frameworks. The aim is to support English educators in fostering students’ communicative competence and intercultural literacy in meaningful, engaging ways.