International Journal of Education

This study explores the systematic integration of ideological and political education into the College English course Intercultural Communication by applying Wen Qiufang’s “Content Chain” framework. It aims to resolve is sues of fragmented content and disconnection between knowledge teaching and value cultivation in current pedagogical practice. Adopting a mixed-method approach—including questionnaires, teaching experiments, and textual analysis—the research involved 80 non-English majors and was structured around three sequential tasks: clarifying educational objectives, analyzing teaching content, and designing instructional plans. The study established specific curriculum goals aligned with knowledge acquisition, skill development, and value formation, and developed a multi-dimensional teaching system incorporating audiovisual resources, cultural cases, and gamified learning activities. Teaching strategies such as critical incident analysis, and cross-cultural comparison were employed to achieve a cohesive integration of ideological elements into course content. Findings indicate that the Content Chain model significantly deepens students’ comprehension and internalization of intercultural knowledge, enhances critical thinking and analytical skills, and strengthens cultural awareness and confidence. This approach offers a practical pathway toward the fusion of knowledge delivery and value guidance, providing a useful reference for advancing ideological and political education within College English curricula.

College English; Ideological and political education; Intercultural communication; Content chain