English Screenwriting as an Alternative Medium for Language Learning in a Chinese University EFL Classroom

2021 ◽  
pp. 109-131
Author(s):  
Yan Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Chinese University

Investigating Chinese University Students’ Enjoyment in a Web-Based Language Learning Environment: Validation of the Online Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale

2021 ◽  
pp. 003151252110417
Author(s):  
Xin Wang ◽  
Yang Wang ◽  
Yizhi Yang ◽  
Lu Wang
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
First Language ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Chinese University ◽  
Confirmatory Factor

The revolution in web-based technologies has enriched pedagogical practices and motivated scholars to address learners’ positive and negative emotions in the web-based language learning environment. In this study, we first examined the psychometric properties of the Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale (FLES) and then developed the Online Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale (OFLES). We adopted a mixed-method approach using a sample of 383 first language Chinese EFL undergraduates. In stage one of the research, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis supported an 11-item and 4-factor OFLES structure with an ideal model fit. The four sub-domains of the new enjoyment construct were OFLES- Teacher, Private, Interaction, and Competence. The Teacher domain accounted for most variance. In stage two, the qualitative analyses of feedback on an open-ended question concerning enjoyable episodes from 56 of the 383 participants revealed various sources of enjoyment for Chinese university EFL learners attending online English courses. Our findings contribute to an emerging wave of research examining the cross-contextual application of the FLES and provide important pedagogical implications for L2 practitioners and researchers. We discuss suggestions for future research.

scholarly journals “How Is My English?”: Chinese University Students’ Attitudes Toward China English and Their Identity Construction

SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 215824402110382
Author(s):  
Haiying Pan ◽  
Chang Liu ◽  
Fan Fang ◽  
Tariq Elyas
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Identity Construction ◽  
English Language ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Standard Form ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Chinese University ◽  
China English ◽  
Chinese University Students

Due to the spread of the English language in various domains and the fact that English is used as a global language, researchers and educators have started to rethink the models and aims of English language teaching in different settings. From the World Englishes (WE) perspective, this study investigated the attitudes of Chinese university students toward the localized variety of “China English,” as well as the students’ identity construction and negotiation during their English language learning journey. Data were collected through a questionnaire completed by 190 respondents and interviews conducted with 20 participants. The findings revealed the students’ positive attitudes toward China English and non-conformity to English as a native language (ENL). This further reflected the communicative function of English and the students’ interest in forming a Chinese cultural identity. However, the students also showed self-contradictory attitudes toward China English, as most did not want to be clearly identified as Chinese when using English. The data revealed some important reasons for this attitudinal conflict, including the belief that ENL is the standard form of English, as well as the students’ desire to develop an identity as competent second language learners of English. The findings suggest the importance of increasing awareness of the global spread of English and reforming English curricula and assessment in contexts where local varieties of English are emerging.

scholarly journals L2 Motivation, Demographic Variables, and Chinese Proficiency among Adult Learners of Chinese

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 120-131
Author(s):  
Meihua Liu
Keyword(s):  
Adult Learners ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Interactive Effect ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
L2 Motivation ◽  
Chinese University ◽  
Demographic Questionnaire ◽  
Ideal L2 Self ◽  
And Gender

The present research explored L2 motivation, demographic variables and Chinese proficiency among adult learners of Chinese as a second language. A total of 83 international students studying in a Chinese university in Beijing answered the 54-item L2MSS questionnaire and a Demographic Questionnaire. Analyses of the data revealed the following findings: a) the L2MSS scales were significantly highly related to one another and highly reliable, b) ideal L2 self was significantly correlated with gender and the number of foreign languages learned (NFLL); integrativeness was significantly positively related to NFLL, c) the whole sample, as well as male and female participants, scored high on all L2MSS scales and had (great) motivation to study Chinese, d) female respondents held significantly more favorable perceptions of their ideal selves than their male peers, and e) L2SSM had no predictive effect or interactive effect with demographic variables on the students’ Chinese proficiency. Nevertheless, length of stay in China and gender proved to be powerful positive predictors for the latter. Evidently, the L2MSS scales are important dimensions of L2 motivation and closely related to second/foreign language learning. Understandably, it is necessary to continuously explore, understand and enhance students’ L2 motivation.

scholarly journals Conceptions of Assessment as an Integral Part of Language Learning: A Case Study of Finnish and Chinese University Students

Languages ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 202
Author(s):  
Magdalini Liontou
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English For Specific Purposes ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Future Aspirations ◽  
Chinese University ◽  
Conceptions Of Assessment ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Language Classroom

Assessment is viewed as an internal and pivotal part of learning, where cultural factors, previous experiences, and future aspirations affect learners’ perceptions. In recent years, an increasing number of western universities have established their campuses or “dual” programmes in China. In the first Sino–Finnish programme, 293 Finnish and Chinese students participated in the same English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course. This study investigated students’ perceptions of assessment through an adapted version of the “Students’ Conceptions of Assessment” inventory, and it explored if the responses on each conception differ between the groups. The self-report inventory included statements based on four main conceptions of assessment: improvement, external factors, affect/benefit, and irrelevance, while open-ended questions were also included. The analysis of the open-ended questions raised the issues of teacher fairness, learner autonomy, and feedback. Additionally, differences appeared between the role of assessment and its relation to future aspirations, as well as the role of the parents. This study is a starting point for exploring the conceptions for distinct groups of students regarding assessment, providing a better understanding of students’ perceptions and discussing the implications for the language classroom.

The dynamic layering of relational pairs in L2 classrooms

Pragmatics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 571-594
Author(s):  
Ricardo Moutinho
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Mutual Understanding ◽  
Joint Orientation ◽  
Teacher Student ◽  
Chinese University ◽  
Membership Categorization ◽  
Sequential Organization ◽  
Advanced Students

Abstract The focus of this paper will be placed upon the methods people use to interact in second language learning settings, discussing interactional aspects of language use in the ongoing production of classroom events. The extracts selected for analysis were drawn from Portuguese language lessons (for beginner and advanced students) in a Chinese university. The results show how L2 classroom participants secure joint orientation and mutual understanding of the categorial pairs (such as ‘teacher-student’ and ‘native-non-native’) being invoked in the sequential organization of the utterances. In other words, when classroom members show orientation to a categorial pair, their subsequent moves will exhibit predicates (actions) of that pair, which will be available to the analyst as phenomena to be explored. This suggests that the sequential elements of the interaction and the membership categorization work carried out by the participants require attention for praxiological enquiries.

Collaborative learning between Chinese and international students in an English as a medium of instruction environment: Friend or foe?

2021 ◽  
pp. 136216882110471
Author(s):  
Rui Yuan ◽  
Art Tsang ◽  
Sifei Li
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
Academic Goals ◽  
Negative Experiences ◽  
Subject Knowledge ◽  
Chinese University ◽  
Depth Interviews

The study examined international and home students’ perceptions of intercultural collaborative learning in an English as a medium of instruction (EMI) environment in a Chinese university. Drawing on data from in-depth interviews, the findings showed that international students held a positive view, reporting gains from the cultural, subject knowledge and language learning dimensions but also hurdles which impeded intercultural communication and content learning in the EMI curriculum. The Chinese students were less positive, viewing such a mode of learning somewhat as a ‘burden’ due primarily to the differences in their and international students’ academic goals and expectations. In response to the negative experiences, the Chinese students demonstrated resilience and ingenuity in devising strategies for achieving their own academic goals. This article concludes with practical implications for EMI teachers and curriculum designers regarding how to improve EMI instruction and intercultural learning in higher education.

Agency Fluctuations and Identity Transformations in Chinese English-Majors on Their Learning Trajectories

2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 488-505
Author(s):  
Qiuming Lin
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Learning Trajectories ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Chinese University ◽  
English Majors ◽  
University Life ◽  
Identity Positioning ◽  
Identity Transformations

Abstract This paper explores agency fluctuations and identity transformations in Chinese English-majors and how they are related to the process of English learning. By tracing a group of students for four years in a Chinese university and conducting qualitative analyses to their oral narrations of learning experiences at different periods, the study has found that most participants started and ended their university life at relatively high levels of agency, with inevitable ups and downs in between. Agency fluctuations in the learners are the result of their identity positioning and repositioning within a complex and ever-changing context. Concordant or conflicting identities may co-exist within an individual learner and keep changing across different situations. Learner identities will cause increase or reduction in their investment in English learning, while their learning experience will in turn reinforce or undermine their identities. The study sheds light on the intricate relationships between agency, identity and language learning and therefore has important implications for English learning and teaching in China.

Identity construction and investment transformation

2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingyue Gu
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Christian Community ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
Chinese University ◽  
Motivation For Learning ◽  
English Second Language ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Identity Investment

This paper reports on a qualitative study that investigated the identity negotiation and English learning investment transformation of learners in a Chinese university. The informants included three female undergraduate students from English and Bioscience majors enrolled in a Chinese university. Recordings of conversation, students’ self-reports, and interviews were collected over one and a half years. This paper draws on ideas from the framework of communities of practice (Wenger, 1998), and employs the notions of identity, investment (Norton, 2000). The paper examined how English second language (L2) learners constructed multiple identities to position themselves in a Chinese educated urban community and an English speaking Christian community. It analysed how their participation and identities in the two communities were constructed, and how their motivation for learning English was transformed. The study reveals how, in an era of globalization, and specifically in the rapidly changing economic, sociocultural and political context of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), English language learning entails complex and intertwined issues of motivation, identity and culture, which demand further exploration.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document