1 Introduction

This section emphasizes the importance of English education in China's educational system and identifies current issues, such as unclear disciplinary nature and ambiguous hierarchies. It introduces Foreign Language Pedagogy as an emerging discipline aimed at systematically addressing these problems and cultivating high-quality foreign language professionals. The research paradigm of Foreign Language Pedagogy features both vertical and horizontal dimensions, focusing not only on in-depth studies of specific issues but also on the horizontal articulation across different educational stages and domains. This study concentrates on the articulation of English education objectives, employing textual analysis to examine the alignment of English curriculum standards and teaching guidelines across various educational levels in China. The aim is to provide references for the formulation and revision of curriculum standards and teaching guidelines, as well as for the implementation, management, and evaluation of foreign language education.

2 Articulation of English Education Talent Development Objectives Across Different Educational Levels in China

This section provides a detailed discussion of the articulation of English education talent development objectives across different educational levels in China. The objectives for compulsory education and general high school English education align in four aspects: language proficiency, cultural awareness, cognitive skills, and learning abilities. However, differences exist, such as the greater emphasis on English intuition, stylistic awareness, and comprehensive English skills in general high school. The articulation between general high school and college English education is generally sound, though college English education does not significantly elevate requirements in terms of challenge level or breadth of knowledge. Similarly, general high school and English major education share many common objectives, but English major education places greater emphasis on scientific literacy, professionalism, specialized knowledge, the role of Chinese in foreign language learning, and interdisciplinary approaches. Overall, the talent development objectives across different educational levels exhibit strong continuity in content dimensions and clear gradients in difficulty, while also displaying certain differences and distinctive features.

3 Articulation of English Education Talent Development Objectives Across Different Educational Levels in China: Characteristics and Recommendations

This section analyzes the articulation of English education talent development objectives across different educational levels in China, noting that the overall alignment is sound, with clear stages and incremental progression. All levels emphasize language, culture, and cognitive dimensions, requiring increasingly advanced communication skills, English proficiency, practical English application, and Chinese language and cultural literacy. Additionally, curriculum standards and teaching guidelines at all levels prioritize the cultivation of critical thinking and innovation skills. To address existing issues, five recommendations are proposed: 1. Incorporate "international perspective" into high school and college English curriculum standards; 2. Explicitly designate "understanding and disseminating Chinese culture" as a primary teaching objective across all levels; 3. Shift the objective of using English to learn other disciplines from high school to college; 4. Appropriately reduce the cognitive skill requirements in compulsory education; 5. Elevate the foundational objectives in the "College English Teaching Guidelines" to enhance student satisfaction.

4 Conclusion

This section underscores the importance of effective articulation in achieving foreign language education goals. Grounded in the systemic perspective of Foreign Language Pedagogy, textual analysis reveals that China's English curriculum standards and teaching guidelines exhibit generally sound articulation across different educational levels, with particular emphasis on language proficiency, practical application, Chinese culture, critical thinking, and innovation skills. Recommendations include greater emphasis on cultivating international perspectives, understanding and disseminating Chinese culture, and critical thinking across all levels, as well as highlighting the ability to use English for interdisciplinary learning and appropriately raising foundational objectives at the college level. The author notes that English education is a complex systemic endeavor, and while this analysis focuses on the overarching objectives of curriculum standards and teaching guidelines, further validation of the conclusions is needed.