Since the beginning of the reform and opening up policy in 1978, China's openness to and integration into globalization has increased significantly, including international popular culture such as foreign-made movies and TV shows. The US has long dominated the international film industry and substantially influences global audiences, including those in China. The country began allowing the theatrical presentation of the first ten Hollywood movies in 1994 on a revenue-sharing basis (Moon et al., 2023). After China became a World Trade Organization (WTO) member in 2001, the quota for revenue-sharing film imports was doubled to twenty movies (Herring, 2021), and to 34 films in 2012 (including 14 IMAX format or enhanced 3D films) (Lyu, 2020). In addition, American movies and TV shows are increasingly prevalent on the Internet and are especially favoured by younger audiences. Popular digital apps or websites among young people to watch full movies and TV shows include Tencent Video, Bilibili, IQIYI, Youku, MGTV, and Souhu Shipin. Additionally, short video platforms have gained huge popularity, such as Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok), Bilibili, and Weishi in Tencent. These various digital platforms on the Internet have undoubtedly accelerated the expansion and influence of Hollywood cultural products on Chinese audiences.

The theories applied in the theoretical framework of this research are soft power theory and media/cultural imperialism theory. Hollywood is a crucial part of American 'soft power', the ability of the US to get the results it desires by means of attraction rather than threats, payment, or coercion (Nye, 2021). Nye (1990) identified soft power resources as including cultural attraction, ideology, and international institutions. He suggested that American culture is a relatively useful and inexpensive source of soft power and that American popular culture embodied in products and communications, has widespread global appeal. He also assumed that Chinese citizens are generally interested in American culture as a result of American popular culture (Nye, 1990).

The theory of cultural imperialism suggests that stronger powers subjugate weaker ones and impose their culture on them; it is argued that we are experiencing a new form of imperialist system in modern times (Danail, 2022). Herbert Schiller, Robert W. Mc Chesne, and Armand Mattelart, who are leading proponents of media/cultural imperialism, hold that products like Hollywood motion pictures contribute to the colonization of global audiences and the formation of a hegemonic culture that has threatened and continues to threaten the existence of other cultures and the emergence of alternative ways of living (Su, 2011). Schiller also points out that the highly commercialized American media not only assists in promoting Western goods and services but has also helped to further the ‘American way of life’ by means of mediated consumer lifestyles (Thussu, 2021).

Thus, the influence of American films and TV shows on cultures worldwide has become a significant projection of soft power and cultural imperialism. Indeed, arguably, the American film industry as an essential factor of soft power is more globally dominant now than when the concept of soft power was introduced by Nye three decades ago (Nelson, 2021). Legitimation of the American ‘way of life’ is promoted through the country’s formidable soft power, “from Hollywood entertainment giants to digital empires of the Internet age” (Thussu, 2019). Similarly, the fact that many governments spend large sums to maintain a presence in the film industry indicates that films are perceived as having considerable symbolic and cultural value (Crane, 2014). China obviously has its own long historical traditions, culture, and values, so the question is whether these may be threatened or undermined by the potential transmission of Western values.

This research examines the cultural impact of Hollywood, including both visible and non-visible culture. It focuses on English majors who are training to become future English teachers or who have the potential to become English teachers, as one group that is likely to be shaped by Hollywood. This is because they study the English language, western culture, and society, in part through Hollywood movies and TV shows, which provide an authentic language environment. This cohort represents the future English teachers who will teach elementary, middle, and/or high school students. Therefore, we can ask, have the worldviews of these teachers been shaped by Hollywood movies and are they then more likely to pass on these values to their future students?

This investigation fills a gap in the literature by exploring Hollywood’s impact on English majors in China. There have been studies on youth in China and other countries, and Chinese college students, on the impact of Hollywood. However, only a few focus on English majors and even fewer specifically on Hollywood’s cultural impact on English majors’ image of America, their behavior, and potential teaching practice. In particular, the existing literature has not examined the statistical relationships between national image, behavior, and potential teaching practice.

In this research, a questionnaire (N=497) was given to English majors at seven universities and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) using AMOS. SEM offers social science researchers a variety of analytical options and viewpoints, through the simultaneous application of multiple multivariate approaches (Babin & Svensson, 2012). Some of the research literature suggests that Hollywood films particularly promote American visible culture, including boosting the market for American products (Saunders, 2023) and crystallizing material desires (Gundle, 2020) to promote the consumer economy. While the findings of this research show that non-visible or nonmaterial culture is more influential than visible culture as presented in American films and TV shows, non-visible culture is a more significant predictor of English majors’ image of America, their behavior, and so potentially their future teaching practice. The finding adds nonmaterial culture’s influence on the teaching practice of English majors to the existing literature.

In the last century, Hollywood emerged as the world’s leading film producer, driven by an increasingly wealthy American population for whom cinema became a popular form of mass consumption (Lorenzen, 2007). Hollywood movies play a role in promoting American ideals, philosophies, and lifestyles (Davids, 2023). Influenced by Hollywood, film industries in other countries also seek to use culture to enhance their position in the international community. Hollywood influenced Indian movies, bringing new trends in settings and costumes for movies that used to reflect the culture of the people in the Indian sub-continent (Ibbi, 2013). In recent years, the Bollywood industry in India has grown tremendously, both reputationally and economically, as a key soft power tool for the Indian government to promote its position in the international arena (González Grandía, 2022). The increasing attractiveness of the ‘Korean wave’ to promote Korean culture is becoming a global trend, which has turned into a major export commodity as well as increasing the nation’s soft power (Glodev et al., 2023). The term ‘Korean wave’ originated in China when TV series and films from Korea started airing on Chinese television in 1999 (Dator, 2019). By absorbing elements of Western culture, the Korean wave represents a combination of traditional Eastern values and the Western lifestyle (Glodev et al., 2023). Chinese film reaps the benefits of the global market, meanwhile recognizing that it is extremely tough to compete with Western films, particularly those from Hollywood (Li, 2010).

Hollywood and Culture

Culture creates spiritual and material values, which dynamically develops a system of ideals, values, and norms of behavior in the social development of a person (Tektigul et al., 2023). US films are typically regarded as being more oriented towards presenting commercial values (Messerlin & Parc, 2020). Film is essential in crystallizing material desires and offering a visual representation of their fulfillment, thus promoting the consumer economy (Gundle, 2020). Viewers may place materialism higher in their value systems after repeated exposure to images of American television that endorse consumerism (Yang et al., 2008). To some critics, a primary function of American movies and TV shows is to promote the flourishing of consumer culture and mass consumption (Gundle, 2020; Ścibiorska-Kowalczyk & Cicho, 2021), to encourage audiences to buy consumer items (Liao & Huang, 2021), and to induce impulsive purchasing and consumption of product surpluses.

Apart from the promotion of material culture, another critical motivation to promote Western culture through Hollywood is to spread aspects of American non-material culture, such as lifestyle, values, ideology (Bi, 2012), and traditions and customs. A survey by Maisuwong (2012) finds that two-thirds of his survey adopt the lifestyles shown in movies into their real lifestyle, in the way they behave, express their feelings or rights, and dress based on the films they have been exposed to; one-third of his survey adopt the values and ideology represented in movies into their lives (Maisuwong, 2012). American culture encompasses the traditions and customs of the United States (Zimmermann, 2015). Hollywood also presents traditions and customs, for example, festivals such as Christmas (Rosewarne, 2017) and Halloween (Yousaf, 2021), birthday and drinking culture (Loughran, 2010), and cake celebration culture (Naeem, 2020).

Hollywood’s Impact

‘Brand Hollywood’ sells entertainment in a global media age (Grainge, 2007). Hollywood movies often target global audiences and are widely seen around the world (Medina & Hurtado, 2018). The impact exerted by Hollywood internationally could be profound and difficult to assess. There are studies on the impact of Hollywood on Pakistani youth (Naeem et al., 2020), Europeans (Saunders, 2023), and Chinese youth (Su, 2021), to name a few. Naeem et al. state that Hollywood movies have a significant impact on Pakistani youth, as they are deeply engrossed in American lifestyles and culture, and suggest that Pakistani authorities and people take serious measures to control such movies that prove to be a threat to their own cultural values (Naeem et al., 2020). Saunders suggests that Hollywood films have emerged as the preeminent form of enlightenment and popular culture and are unrivaled as a vehicle for exporting and disseminating the American way of life and boosting the market for American products in Europe (Saunders, 2023). Su argues that Hollywood movies meet the needs of the Chinese audience for entertainment and visual pleasure, inspire the global imagination of Chinese youth, and encourage discussion and introspection about their own culture and society, as well as a shared yearning for alternative modernities and lifestyles (Su, 2021). Hui (2011) investigates how Chinese college students make sense of foreign films and TV and the implications for English language teaching.

However, studies of English majors are rare, and representative research by Gao et al. (2023) states that English majors are significantly impacted by Western values conveyed by Hollywood films and British and American TV shows, which are mostly money, hedonism, heroism, and individualism. These values can progressively erode students’ own values and subtly become their goals (Gao et al., 2023).

Hollywood’s Influence on America's Image, Behavior, and Teaching

Watching movies and television dramas can influence the national perceptions and behavior of the audience. A common view in cultural studies is that Hollywood seeks to build a positive national image characterized by freedom, prosperity, and equality (Bi, 2012). Hollywood cinema can promote the national image of America (Chung, 2020). Young people can try to mimic what is shown in films and television, which is reflected in their behavior, such as dressing styles and ways of talking (Kethan & Basha, 2023). For example, in the case of another country, the perception of the national image through watching food-themed TV shows impacts significantly behavioral intentions such as visiting Korea for food tourism (Kim et al., 2012). Using film clips can also influence people’s personalities and therefore their behavior (Vanessa & Arie, 2019). One piece of research, for example, finds that people in South Korea and India can experience a sense of relative deprivation brought about by watching US television (Yang et al., 2008); when television functions as the primary source of information about other cultures, it can have a strong influence on shaping and indeed distorting perceptions.

More specifically, effective teaching practices can be greatly influenced by culture and teacher identity (Pishghadam et al., 2022). Research on the perception of English learners of using movies as tools to teach and study English shows that the effective use of movies to improve language skills and cultural awareness can influence teaching behavior (Albiladi et al., 2018). Hollywood films and soap operas possess a lot of cultural and social background information about English-speaking countries and provide students with direct, vivid, and somewhat realistic materials to understand culture and society, which in turn can facilitate English teaching (Wang, 2015). The English language film is one of the most important media that can be applied during English teaching and learning processes, since it can encourage students to participate in learning English vocabulary (Efrizal, 2018). Using animation movies as instrumental media can assist students in solving writing issues and enhancing their writing ability, and also can encourage them to participate positively in the process of teaching and learning (Silvani, 2020). Furthermore, the use of movies or TV shows can help improve listening abilities (Fussalam et al., 2019; Qiu, 2017), pronunciation (Rasati, 2020), and overall language skills (Kabooha, 2016).

Chinese Culture Challenged by Western Culture

Hollywood also has the potential to challenge the value systems of English majors, who may be exposed more than other majors to its films and TV shows. With technological improvements, movies have mostly replaced novels and books and have the power to inspire people more than any other type of media or information (Josiam et al., 2015). Hollywood films evoke the global imagination of Chinese college students and make them reflect on and discuss their own society and culture, igniting a longing for a different modernity and way of existence (Su, 2021).

Given the popular culture of movies and TV shows, there exists a potential collision of Western and Chinese culture. Internally, Confucianism concerns the development of conscience, morals, and character for the sake of stability, while externally, it can be reflected in compliance and acceptance of societal duties, norms, and orders. In addition, diligence, thriftiness, and plain living are considered traditional Chinese virtues (Li, 2021). However, contemporary ideals (such as pleasure, autonomy, and beauty) are increasingly challenging these traditional standards, and Western culture typically embraces individualism, competition, and materialism (Zhang & Su, 2021). Subsequently, to some commentators, the Chinese cultural tradition of solidarity, hard work, and collectivism has been diminished by exposure to Hollywood films (Gao et al., 2023). For example, in one study, half of the participants will avoid teaching culture in English language classrooms out of fear that they could be seen as ‘promoters’ of American culture, detaching students from their own cultural identity (Salih & Omar, 2022).

This is the cultural imperialism that some nations are in fear of. According to proponents of cultural imperialism theory and the media, culture is negatively impacted by the media, endangering indigenous cultural identity, independence, and homogeneity, prompting a fear of the media imposing cultural colonization (Obong, 2019). India's ongoing quest for independence explains the necessity for a locally produced, culturally distinct cinema industry apart from Hollywood (Srivastava, 2022). For Hollywood, Indian, French, Dutch, or Chilean cinema are not serious competitors for American films, which has led to different forms of protectionism in most countries, resulting in putting government laws and state intervention into action (Elsaesser, 2005).

Hypotheses and Research Model

Hypotheses

Cultural dissemination is prevalent in Hollywood movies and TV shows. Material culture and non-material culture are two critical aspects of spreading soft power. Material culture consists of the tangible and physical substances of society, the way that humans interpret and cope with their physical world by means of objects (Massey, 2000). Non-material culture includes beliefs, values, and customs; in other words, the norms and mores of people (Idang, 2015). The hypotheses proposed in this research are as follows (Fig. 1).

Research Model

In Figure 1, H1.1, H2.1, and H3.1 are the hypotheses of material culture to the image of America, behavior, and potential teaching practice. H1.2, H2.2, and H3.2 are the hypotheses of non-material culture to the image of America, behavior, and potential teaching practice. H4 is the hypothesis of the image of America in behavior, H5 is the behavior in potential teaching practice, and H6 is the image of America in potential teaching practice.

Bartlett's Test of Sphericity and Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO)

The data were entered into SPSS to perform factor analysis. The KMO value was 0.975, which is substantial for further analysis, and the significance was 0.000, less than 0.05, for Bartlett's sphericity test. Therefore, the data for the survey are valid for these parameters.

Normality Assessment

The skewness for every item is between -0.104 and 0.164, which indicates that the data are normally distributed for this parameter. Kurtosis for each item is between -0.171 and 1.236, which further proves that the data are of normal distribution. As a result, the data are considered to be normally distributed on the parameters of both skewness and kurtosis. Therefore, MLE is applied to determine the values for the parameters of the measurement model and the structural equation model.

CFA for Each Measurement Model

Researchers often first evaluate each measurement model when conducting SEM before assessing thestructural model (Hair et al., 2020). Problems with SEM models are due to measurement model issues that can be identified with CFA (Brown, 2015). The three-indicator rules state that each construct contains at least three indicators (Zhang et al., 2020). Indicators for removal are considered if deletion results in an increase in internal consistency reliability or convergence validity over the suggested value of the threshold (Hair et al., 2021). Furthermore, the heterotrait-monotrait ratio (HTMT) of the correlations should be less than 0.90 (Henseler et al., 2015). Therefore, after calculation, the highest and lowest standardized regression weights of the indicators were removed for the construction of material culture. All the indicators are kept for non-material culture. The highest four of those were kept for the image of America, behavior, and potential teaching. Eliminating some of the indicators resulted in an increase in extracted average variance (AVE) and also kept the HTMT ratio below the threshold.

CFA for the Measurement Model

Before evaluating the structural model, the measurement model should first be evaluated. A maximum likelihood estimate (MLE) approach is adopted for the analysis of the measurement model because the sample size is below 1000 (Zhang et al., 2020). Then the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for the measurement model is conducted, and AMOS 26.0 is applied as a data analysis tool (see Figure 2).

The CFA results show an adequate level of model fit (chi-square=542.217, p<0.01(p=0.000), df=125, chi-square/df=4.338, GFI=0.894, AGFI=0.855, CFI=0.950, TLI=0.939, IFI=0.951, RMSEA=0.082, SRMR=0.037) shown in Table 1.

Table 2 shows the result of the estimates of CAF parameters, including unstandardized regression weights, standard error, significance, t-value, standardized regression weights, and multiple squared correlations. All estimated parameters are significant with p less than 0.001. All indicator loadings (standardized regression weights) of the measured constructs such as material culture, non-material culture, image, behavior and teaching are above the threshold value of 0.708 (Hair et al., 2021), indicating sufficient indicator reliability. The transportation of the indicator in material culture (factor loading, 0.739) has the smallest explained variance of the indicator with a value of 0.546 (=0.739²), while the indicator lifestyle in non-material culture (factor loading, 0.924) has the highest indicator-explained variance value of 0.854 (=0.924²). Both the smallest and highest variance values are well above the threshold of 0.5, which means that the SMC of every construct meets the requirement.

Convergent validity and discriminant validity

CR values in the study of material culture (0.865), non-material culture (0.937), image (0.894), behavior (0.897) and teaching (0.924) are above the required minimum value of 0.70. The AVE values of material culture (0.682), non-material culture (0.836), image (0.678), behavior (0.685), and teaching (0.751) are well above the recommended threshold value of 0.50 (Hair et al., 2019). Therefore, the measures of the same construct are closely related. Convergence validity is considered adequate (Table 2).

The HTMT ratio in the study of material culture-non-material culture (0.861), material culture-image of America (0.788), material culture-behavior (0.725), material culture-teaching (0.725), non-material culture-image of America (0.890), non-material culture-behavior (0.869), non-material culture-teaching (0.817), image of America-behavior (0.853), image of America-teaching (0.867), and behavior-teaching (0.859) are well below the threshold of 0.90, which is recommended by Henseler et al. (2015). Therefore, the measurements of different constructs are unrelated. The discriminant validity is considered adequate (Table 3).

SEM model fit test

The structural equation model was created to assess the adequacy of the proposed conceptual framework and to examine the hypotheses. The results indicate that the fit of the model is adequate (chi-square = 542.217, p < 0.001, df = 125, chi-square/df = 4.338, GFI = 0.894, AGFI = 0.855, CFI = 0.950, TLI = 0.939, IFI = 0.951, RMSEA = 0.082, SRMR = 0.037).

SEM Validation

Table 4 shows the results of the assessment of the structural model. The standardized regression weights for indicators range between 0.739 and 0.924. The squared multiple correlations are between 0.547 and 0.855 for observed variables and between 0.789 and 0.806 for latent variables. Therefore, the SMC parameter meets the standard. The composite reliability is sufficient, ranging between 0.865 and 0.937. The average variance extracted is also good, ranging between 0.678 and 0.836. Overall, the parameters for the structural equation model are adequate.

Path Analysis

Among the nine estimated path coefficients, five are statistically significant at the 0.001 level. The results are shown in Table 5 and Figure 3. Significant relationships are found on the paths of non-material culture to image (β = 0.820, t = 11.233, p < 0.001), non-material culture to behavior (β = 0.618, t = 6.006, p < 0.001), image to behavior (β = 0.397, t = 4.841, p < 0.001), behavior to teaching (β = 0.455, t = 5.917, p < 0.001), and image to teaching (β = 0.490, t = 5.739, p < 0.001).

The relationships are not significant at the 0.05 or 0.01 level on the paths of material culture to image, material culture to behavior, material culture to teaching, or non-material culture to teaching. In summary, hypotheses H1.2, H2.2, H4, H5, and H6 are supported because the five paths are significant at the 0.001 level. Hypotheses H1.1, H2.1, H3.1, and H3.2 are rejected since the four paths are not statistically significant at the 0.05 or 0.01 level.

The results provoke various points of discussion, both theoretical and practical, about Hollywood’s cultural impact, as well as several significant implications for English teaching and learning in China. Hollywood movies and television dramas are crucial parts of American soft power. American culture and Western values are embedded in the media and widely distributed, capturing a huge global audience. Watching Hollywood movies and TV shows frequently is akin to learning and experiencing American culture and society. Generally speaking, the HTMT values between the visible culture and the latent variables of the image of America, behavior, and teaching practice are lower than those between the non-visible culture and the above latent variables. This fact underscores the more significant influence of non-material culture over material culture in the impact of Hollywood on English majors.

First, the results show that the non-material culture depicted in Hollywood movies and TV shows has a significantly positive impact on both the formation of perceptions of the image of America for English majors and students’ behavior. The perception formed after watching non-material culture in Hollywood movies and TV shows directly shapes the overall image of America. This finding is consistent with previous studies that stated that Hollywood spreads the American way of life to build a positive national image (Bi, 2012). In other words, English majors are influenced by the non-material culture embedded in American movies and TV shows and tend to accept Western cultures such as traditions and customs, values, and lifestyle. This finding coincides with previous studies (see, for example, Maisuwong, 2012). The findings reaffirm that using film clips can also influence behavior (Vanessa & Arie, 2019); that is, non-material culture can be translated into actual practice in daily life. Although the non-material culture does not directly impact the potential teaching practice of students, this does not mean it is insignificant in influencing teaching. When the total effect is taken into account, compared to other factors in the results, non-material culture is found to be the highest predictor of teaching as well as behavior, indicating that non-material culture is the most significant determining factor.

Second, material culture does not significantly impact the perception of English majors of the image of America, behavior, or potential teaching practice. This result is not consistent with previous studies. Long-term exposure to consumerism-oriented American television can make viewers place materialism higher in their value system (Yang et al., 2008), shape the image of a country (Kim et al., 2018), and influence teaching behavior (Albiladi et al., 2018). This finding is significant because the dissemination of material culture is a crucial part of Hollywood in the crystallization of material promoting the consumer economy (Gundle, 2020). This deserves further research and exploration.

Third, the study confirms that the perception of the image of America contributes significantly to both students’ behavior and their potential teaching practice. The perceived image of America, enhanced by non-material culture, is a better predictor of prospective teaching practice than behavior. In addition, the image of America is a more robust mediator than behavior in influencing potential teaching practices from non-material culture. The findings validate the significant mediating function of the image of America and behavior in the proposed theoretical framework. However, when the image of America and behavior play the mediating roles for material culture, their impact is not as robust as for non-material culture. These findings make an important contribution to the current literature, which has neither examined the statistical relationships between national image, behavior, or teaching practice nor assessed the mediating role of the image of America or behavior.

Fourth, the behavior of English majors significantly influences their potential teaching practice. No literature has been found on the impact of cultures in American films and TV shows on the potential teaching practice of prospective teachers. This is important since English majors are mostly trained to become teachers, and teaching is their major job in the future.

Finally, it can be concluded that culture, especially the non-material culture shown in Hollywood movies and TV shows, plays a significant and essential role in forming English majors’ perception of the image of America. It is possible that students could gradually form false perceptions of the US and unconsciously accept Western non-visible culture and behave accordingly in daily life. The perception of American students of the image of America also significantly impacts their behavior and potential teaching practice. It is likely that English majors prefer American traditions and customs, lifestyles, and values to form their image of America, which indirectly influences their behavior.

Hollywood plays a significant role in America’s globalization strategy (Zhang, 2022). The attractive storytelling of most Hollywood films has made a powerful contribution to expanding American culture, making it a useful resource for English language dissemination worldwide (Medina & Hurtado, 2018). American movies and TV shows are a good source for English majors to study the language. From the findings of this study, we know that English majors in China were influenced by American culture in Hollywood movies and TV dramas, especially non-visible culture, such as traditions and customs, values, and beliefs. Non-visible culture, such as food, fashion, architecture, transportation, and electronic devices, didn’t impact them as much. These findings are potentially important for education-related policy, in order to make full use of American popular culture as language-teaching resources while containing the influence of Western culture and retaining Chinese cultural identity. These research findings could provide useful suggestions and recommendations for how to make full use of American films and TV shows as English teaching and learning materials. For example, the content chosen should focus on material cultural elements instead of non-visible cultural aspects. Although the study focuses on English majors, its findings can also be meaningful and applicable to college students of other majors or even the general public.

There are several limitations to the study. Firstly, it focuses only on English majors in higher education. Non-English majors in universities also study English, called college English, for most of their first and second years. Furthermore, there are English courses for non-English majors pursuing master's and doctoral degrees. Other school stages such as high school, middle school, elementary school, and kindergarten are also not included in the study. Students who study English are likely to experience English movies and TV shows during different stages of school education too. Future research could be extended to non-English majors in higher education and other stages of education to cover more students to gain a broader understanding of Hollywood’s cultural influence.

Second, the study was conducted only in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China. Further studies could be conducted in other provinces in China and even in other countries. Cross-province and cross-country comparative studies would be worth conducting to produce a wider range of findings.

Third, this study only used a questionnaire as a measurement tool. Future studies could apply various kinds of measurement to collect data, such as semi-structured in-depth interviews, classroom activities, and essays on specific topics, to further reveal the comprehensive and complex influence of Hollywood culture.

Finally, a group analysis would also be worth carrying out. The research takes English majors as a single entity and does not undertake analysis regarding differences in gender, minority groups, or various origins. It would be useful to find out if there are differences in the influence of Hollywood culture between male and female English majors, among different minority groups such as Han, Zhuang, and Miao, and students from cities, towns, or rural areas.

Popular culture in Hollywood movies and TV shows is a particularly significant area of study in the context of globalization and plays a crucial part in English teaching and learning for English majors. American movies and television dramas can be good original language sources for English majors to study English. Since most Hollywood products are entertaining, novel, interesting, and attractive, they are quite popular among English majors as forms of entertainment. Due to the development of digital technology, students have more access to Hollywood films and TV shows by means of mobile devices, personal computers, a variety of software, apps, online resources, and so on. But Hollywood culture can have a complicated impact on the value systems of English majors. Movies and TV shows are not only for English study, of course, but also encourage audiences to make comparisons and negotiations between Western and Chinese cultures, such as different cultural traditions, customs, values, beliefs, and lifestyles. Viewers may form their own understanding of other cultures slowly and imperceptibly, without noticing how these cultures and values influence (in this case) traditional Chinese culture and value systems. No matter the motivations of English majors when they watch American movies and TV shows, they are influenced by American culture consciously and unconsciously, including by integrating what they have watched into their behavior and potential teaching practice. In this research, a theoretical framework and statistical analysis have been established to understand the impact of Hollywood culture on the image of English majors of America, their behavior, and potential teaching practice, in order to appreciate this important phenomenon.

Acknowledgement Statement: The authors thank the International College of Digital Innovation at Chiang Mai University for its support.

Conflicts of interest: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Authors' contribution statements: Author 1 contributes to the conceptualization, methodology, formal analysis, investigation, writing of original draft, visualization, project administration, and review and editing; Author 2, writing -review and editing, supervision and funding acquisition; Author 3, writing-review and editing, and supervision; Author 4, supervision.

Funding statements: This research was funded by the International College of Digital Innovation at Chiang Mai University

Ethical consideration statement: This study involved human participants, specifically English majors at seven universities in China, who completed a questionnaire. Informed consent was obtained from all participants, ensuring their confidentiality and anonymity. The research adhered to ethical guidelines obtained from Chiang Mai University ethical committee.

Data availability statement: Data is available at request. Please contact the corresponding author for any additional information on data access or usage.

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