Students’ Attitudes towards Cultural Learning in the English Classroom: A Case Study of Non-English Major Students in a Chinese University

Through a theoretical framework that builds on the Community of Practice construct and the concepts of identity negotiation, imagined identity and investment, this case study examines how one English-as-a-foreign-language student negotiated the identity as an English learner in the Chinese university classroom setting. Then the extent that the student’s oral communication behaviors in the English classroom community were influenced by the negotiated identity is presented. The analysis shows that a student may have multiple identities in the educational setting. By constantly shifting identities in the English learning process, the focal student struggled with the English learner identity perceived by herself and that identified by her English teacher. As a result, the student’s investment in English class oral tasks and communication behaviors in EFL classroom may change with the shift of identities. Suggestions are made for EFL teachers to help students construct desirable identities in order to improve their involvement in English class oral communication activities.

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The Effectiveness of a Bilingual Education Program at Chinese University-A case study of Business English Major in South-central University for Nationalities Wuhan, China

DEStech Transactions on Social Science Education and Human Science ◽

10.12783/dtssehs/esem2019/29748 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Lyatamila Ndyali ◽

Siqi Shan

Keyword(s):

Bilingual Education ◽

Education Program ◽

Business English ◽

South Central ◽

Chinese University ◽

English Major

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A STUDY OF ACADEMIC GENRE: EXPLORING WRITING IN ENGLISH FOR UNIVERSITY PURPOSES WITH VIETNAMESE STUDENTS

VNU Journal of Foreign Studies ◽

10.25073/2525-2445/vnufs.4338 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 35 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Michelle J. Evans

Keyword(s):

Education Students ◽

Postgraduate Students ◽

Postgraduate Level ◽

English Major ◽

English Medium Instruction ◽

Students Attitudes ◽

Academic Genre ◽

English Students

Higher Education students in Vietnam are increasingly expected to write in English for university and professional purposes. This study identified the written texts in English that postgraduates had written for university purposes and explored their perceptions of or attitudes towards these. Using a classification of university genres developed from the British Academic Written English (BAWE) Corpus, ten case study students showed how their experiences of genres at lower levels of education had been heavily standardised. At undergraduate levels, English-major students and students studying in English-medium instruction were expected to write a wider variety of genres. At postgraduate levels, however, students from all subject areas were also required to write some genres, especially scientific research reports in English. Students’ attitudes towards assignments were influenced by effort and achievement levels, and the extent to which they felt prepared to write the type of text required. A number of key writing challenges were identified by students via self-reports and think-aloud protocol methods. Many students felt unprepared to write the genres expected of them, including the need for academic vocabulary and critical thinking. Findings indicated that non-English major postgraduate students (especially those enrolled on science-based courses) could benefit from a genre-sensitive pedagogy at late undergraduate or early postgraduate level.

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Culture and the plasticity of perception

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x19002887 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 43 ◽

Author(s):

Michael Lifshitz ◽

T. M. Luhrmann

Keyword(s):

Cultural Context ◽

Sensory Experience ◽

Cultural Learning ◽

The World

Abstract Culture shapes our basic sensory experience of the world. This is particularly striking in the study of religion and psychosis, where we and others have shown that cultural context determines both the structure and content of hallucination-like events. The cultural shaping of hallucinations may provide a rich case-study for linking cultural learning with emerging prediction-based models of perception.

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THE IMPLEMENTATION OF RADIN INTEN II’S NATIONALISM RESISTANCE VALUES WITHIN LOCAL HISTORY LEARNING

Ta dib ◽

10.31958/jt.v23i2.1721 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 145

Author(s):

Surandi Surandi ◽

Supardi Supardi ◽

Johan Setiawan

Keyword(s):

Data Collection ◽

Learning Process ◽

Local History ◽

Data Display ◽

Analysis Techniques ◽

Learning Plan ◽

History Learning ◽

Collection Data ◽

Students Attitudes

Abstract: The purposes of this study are to find out: (1) the implementation of Radin Inten II’s resistance nationalism values in the learning process; (2) the obstacles experienced by teachers when implementing Radin Inten II’s resistance nationalism values in the learning process; (3) the efforts made by teachers in overcoming obstacles during the implementation of Radin Inten II’s nationalism values in the learning process. This study used qualitative approach with the type of case study conducted at SMAN 1 Kalianda. Data collection techniques consisted of observation, interviews, and documentary studies. Data analysis techniques used the model of Miles & Huberman consisting of data collection, data reduction, data display, and conclusion. The results show: (1) the implementation of Radin Inten II’s nationalism resistance values in the process of learning local history was carried out by compiling a syllabus and implementing learning plan (RPP) by incorporating local history into Indonesian historical material which was consisted of planning, implementation, and evaluation, (2) the obstacles experienced by teachers included: the ability of teachers during learning process, students’ attitudes, and time constraints, (3) the efforts made by the teacher were taking the initiative to instill the values of nationalism in the resistance of Radin Inten II’s, applying various models, strategies, methods and singing a national song before learning. Abstrak: Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui: (1) implementasi nilai-nilai nasionalisme perlawanan Radin Inten II dalam proses pembelajaran, (2) kendala yang dialami oleh guru saat implementasi nilai-nilai nasionalisme perlawanan Radin Inten II dalam proses pembelajaran, (3) upaya yang dilakukan guru dalam mengatasi kendala yang dihadapi saat implementasi nilai-nilai nasionalisme perlawanan Radin Inten II dalam proses pembelajaran. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan jenis studi kasus di SMAN 1 Kalianda. Teknik pengumpulan data terdiri dari observasi, wawancara, dan dokumentasi. Teknik analisis data menggunakan model Miles & Huberman yang terdiri dari pengumpulan data, reduksi data, penyajian data, dan penarikan kesimpulan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan: (1) implementasi nilai-nilai nasionalisme perlawanan Radin Inten II dalam proses pembelajaran sejarah lokal dilakukan dengan menyusun silabus dan rencana pelaksana pembelajaran (RPP) dengan memasukkan sejarah lokal kedalam materi sejarah Indonesia yang terdiri dari perencanaan, pelaksanaan, dan evaluasi, (2) kendala yang dialami oleh guru diantaranya: kemampuan guru dalam proses pembelajaran, sikap siswa, dan adanya keterbatasan waktu, (3) upaya yang dilakukan oleh guru yaitu berinisiatif menanamkan nilai-nilai nasionalisme dalam perlawanan Radin Inten II, menerapkan berbagai model, strategi, metode dan menyanyikan lagu nasional sebelum pembelajaran.

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Using Production-Oriented Approach in Business English Courses: Perceptions of China’s English-Major and Non-English-Major Undergraduates

SAGE Open ◽

10.1177/21582440211016553 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 215824402110165

Author(s):

Qing Xie

Keyword(s):

Teaching And Learning ◽

Implementation Strategies ◽

Business English ◽

Student Groups ◽

Teaching Activities ◽

Curriculum Adaptation ◽

Chinese University ◽

English Majors ◽

English Major ◽

Oriented Approach

In light of pedagogical innovation, this study reports a two-stage survey with 172 participants from English-major and non-English-major programs on their needs of production-oriented approach and perceptions of effective implementation strategies in business English courses at a Chinese university. The results of the study suggest that while the two student groups used different learning methods, both valued communication with native speakers. While the two groups had different needs in business English reading, writing, and speaking activities, they also preferred listening to business news broadcasts. The two groups liked learning in case studies and case-based methodology. Based on the needs, a production-oriented teaching procedure is designed. For teaching activities, the students preferred simulation and role-play. As to their favorite teaching and learning materials, English-majors mentioned English news reading and videos, whereas non-English-majors liked theme-based reading materials. For curriculum adaptation and post-course practice, they suggested using communicative activities and more recent cases. The majority of the groups considered the teaching activities, materials, and activities as effective. Based on the different needs and perceptions, effective and tailored implementation strategies for a production-oriented approach in business English courses for the two student groups at this Chinese university context are suggested. Informed by production-oriented pedagogical theories, the results of the study may have significant implications for business English teaching reform and theoretical development in Chinese universities as well as other cultural and education settings in further innovating and refining the teaching and learning process.

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