An Empirical Study on Junior High School English Teaching from the Perspective of Interdisciplinary Integration: Evidence from Northern China

Abstract

This study investigates whether interdisciplinary integration in junior high school English teaching improves educational outcomes in northern China. Drawing on the education production function framework, the paper treats interdisciplinary English teaching as an instructional innovation and estimates its effect using a difference-in-differences (DID) model. The sample consists of a balanced panel of 16 junior high schools located in Hebei, Liaoning, Jilin, and Inner Mongolia from 2021 to 2023, generating 48 school-year observations. Among these schools, 7 schools introduced structured interdisciplinary English teaching reform in 2022, while 9 schools continued conventional English instruction during the study period.

The estimated results show that interdisciplinary integration has a positive and statistically significant effect on English teaching outcomes. On average, reform schools experienced an increase of 4.2 points in average English examination scores relative to non-reform schools after implementation. In addition, interdisciplinary reform significantly improved classroom participation and student English learning self-efficacy. Mechanism analysis suggests that the reform works mainly through two channels: enhanced student engagement and stronger teacher collaboration across subject areas. Further analysis indicates that the reform effect is stronger in county-level schools and in schools with better digital teaching resources.

The findings suggest that interdisciplinary integration is not merely a curriculum slogan, but a practical teaching reform capable of improving both academic performance and classroom quality in junior high school English education. The paper provides empirical support for promoting interdisciplinary teaching design in northern China, particularly in schools where English teaching remains highly fragmented and examination-oriented.