Integrating Local Cultural Heritage into College English for Ideological and Political Education: A Place-Based Pedagogical Intervention and Its Effectiveness

Abstract

The integration of regional cultural heritage into College English curriculum ideological and political education (CIPE) remains underexplored in empirical research. Drawing upon place-based education (PBE), intercultural communicative competence (ICC), and content and language integrated learning (CLIL), this study designed and evaluated a pedagogical intervention that systematically infused Central Plains (Zhongyuan) cultural content into College English instruction at a university in Henan Province. Employing a mixed-methods design with 120 non-English major undergraduates over 16 weeks, quantitative data were collected through pre- and post-test questionnaires measuring cultural identity, learning motivation, and ICC, while qualitative data were gathered via semi-structured interviews. Results showed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group across all variables with large effect sizes, particularly in critical cultural awareness. Thematic analysis identified enhanced engagement through cultural relevance as a key facilitator, whereas resource and time constraints emerged as primary barriers. The findings extend PBE and Byram's ICC framework to Chinese language education, demonstrating regional culture as both a pedagogical resource and a vehicle for intercultural citizenship. This study offers a replicable instructional model and empirical evidence for place-based, content-language integrated approaches to CIPE in higher education.