<![CDATA[The challenges that the students in China’s higher vocational colleges encounter when learning English negatively influence their Overall English Learning Satisfaction (OELS) in the College English Course (CEC). Although substantial studies have examined satisfaction with English learning, most have focused on general higher education contexts. As a result, English learning satisfaction in CEC in higher vocational institutions has received comparatively less attention, particularly regarding disciplinary and gender differences. In response, the present study investigated students’ satisfaction using a questionnaire mainly adapted from the China Customer Satisfaction Index. Data were collected using a 16-item, five-point Likert-scale survey within 1,057 non-English major students across three vocational colleges in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province. The group differences were analyzed through the independent-samples t-test, Welch’s analysis, and the Gaines-Howell post-hoc test. The results indicated that the overall OELS level of the students was moderate to high, with significant gender and discipline differences. The female students had higher satisfaction with CEC than the male students. The disciplines’ differences were also noticeable; the students in the Humanities and Social Sciences discipline had the highest satisfaction, followed by those in Engineering & Technology, while the students in Art & Design reported the lowest satisfaction. These findings provided solid support for gender-sensitive teaching and discipline-specific curriculum adjustments to enhance students’ learning satisfaction and promote quality education in higher vocational institutions.]]>
