scholarly journals Learning Chinese as the United Nations Language? Implications for Language Learning Motivation and Identity in Adult Higher Education

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 168
Author(s):  
Hugo Yu-Hsiu Lee
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Personal Identity ◽  
Chinese Language ◽  
Institutional Identity ◽  
Intergovernmental Organization ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Adult Higher Education ◽  
Professional Self

In this study, the researcher strives to build on earlier work in which the roles of motivation and identity in language learning in adult higher education were examined. In the present connection, the focus falls on the roles played by a seldom researched group consisting of staff members in an intergovernmental organization. This group is comprised of United Nations staff members (N=33/18 female, 15 male) involved with the United Nations Chinese language program at the UN Headquarter for the Asia region in Bangkok. The past research has shown that an adult language learner’s learning level becomes very high when s/he is sufficiently motivated. In this light, then, the researcher explores whether the language-learning process would be improved if adult staff members from an intergovernmental organization engage in language learning with a greater sense of a professional self/institutional identity than would be the case with a merely personal identity. Also considered is whether the language-learning process is enhanced by an individual/personal identity in contrast to having only a professional self/institutional identity. The findings show that UN staff members who are highly motivated to learn Chinese are more likely to harbor a mixture of both personal and professional identities. Nevertheless, prioritizing the learning of Chinese often stems from functional and practical reasons, i.e., from instrumental motivation. Finally, this study finds no clear links between Chinese heritage and success in Chinese language learning in the adult higher educational sector.

scholarly journals The Multiple Ideologies of Shaping Cambodian Students’ Chinese Language Learning Experiences

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Jia Li ◽  
Juan Dong ◽  
Xia Li
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Students ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Soft Power ◽  
Chinese Language ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Chinese Language Learning ◽  
Higher Education In China

In light of the increasing prominence of China’s Belt and Road (B&R) Initiatives and China’s soft power projection to its neighboring countries, China's relations with Southeast Asian countries are getting closer. In recent years, a large number of Cambodian students have come to China for higher education. Informed by the theories of linguistic capital and language ideology, the present study aims to study the the macro-social factors mediated in the Cambodian students’ Chinese language learning experiences. For current study, the data was collected from Guizhou Minzu University and Qiannan Normal University for Nationalities through semi-structured interview, questionnaire, online interactions, and the collection of linguistic autobiographies as well as other relevant documents and materials. The findings of the study show that there are four main factors influencing Cambodian students’ higher education in China: (i) political factors: national and governmental policies; (ii) cultural factors: historical influences; (iii) educational factors: influences of schools and communities, parental strategies; (iv) economic factors: employment prospects and tourism. Based on the findings mentioned above, the study suggests that given the rapid increasing number of Cambodian international students in China, it is imperative for Chinese government and universities to consider how to better meet Cambodian international students’ study needs and employment prospects.

Reflection on Learner-Led Study Abroad Events in a SAC from Three Perspectives: A Learner, an Administrative Staff Member, and an Advisor

Relay Journal ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 66-79
Author(s):  
Mizuki Shibata ◽  
Chihiro Hayashi ◽  
Yuri Imamura
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Support System ◽  
Staff Member ◽  
Administrative Staff ◽  
Multiple Reflections ◽  
Learning Space ◽  
Japanese University ◽  
Staff Members

This paper reports on a case study of learner-led study-abroad events in the language learning space at a Japanese University. We present multiple reflections on the events from different perspectives: the event organizer (student), an administrative staff member, and a learning advisor working at the center. We also introduce the support system that a group of administrative staff members and learning advisors are in charge of helping learners to hold their events. Moreover, throughout our reflections, several factors that made the learner-led study-abroad events sustainable and successful are demonstrated.

Assessment : Basic Concepts, Thoughtful Decisions

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-21
Author(s):  
Milton Raul Licona Luna ◽  
Elizabeth Alvarado Martínez
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Assessment For Learning ◽  
Continuous Assessment ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Basic Concepts ◽  
Education In Mexico

Institutions from basic to higher education in Mexico that offer courses of English as a Foreign Language rely heavily on the administering of assessment, usually a formal type of assessment. However, the literature shows how important it is the involvement of other types of assessment in the classroom for effective language learning to take place. For instance, assessment for learning, which consist of a continuous assessment where learners receive feedback so greater learning occurs, what is more, it enables teachers to modify their teaching ways as they reflect on the learners’ progress. To show how assessment is carried out in our context, this research project focuses on a case study within the CAADI from FOD in the UANL.

scholarly journals Shape-shifting and pushing against the odds: staff perceptions of the experiences of first generation students in South Africa and the UK

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Forsyth ◽  
Claire Hamshire ◽  
Danny Fontaine-Rainen ◽  
Leza Soldaat
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
First Generation Students ◽  
Staff Perceptions ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion ◽  
University Life ◽  
The Uk

AbstractThe principles of diversity and inclusion are valued across the higher education sector, but the ways in which these principles are translated into pedagogic practice are not always evident. Students who are first in their family to attend university continue to report barriers to full participation in university life. They are more likely to leave their studies early, and to achieve lower grades in their final qualifications, than students whose families have previous experience of higher education. The purpose of this study was to explore whether a mismatch between staff perceptions and students’ experiences might be a possible contributor to these disparities. The study explored and compared staff discourses about the experiences of first generation students at two universities, one in the United Kingdom (UK), and the other in South Africa (SA). One-to-one interviews were carried out with 40 staff members (20 at each institution) to explore their views about first generation students. The results showed that staff were well aware of challenges faced by first generation students; however, they were unsure of their roles in relation to shaping an inclusive environment, and tended not to consider how to use the assets that they believed first generation students bring with them to higher education. This paper explores these staff discourses; and considers proposals for challenging commonly-voiced assumptions about students and university life in a broader context of diversity and inclusive teaching practice.

scholarly journals Online Foreign Language Learning in Higher Education and Its Correlates during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 781
Author(s):  
Maria-Anca Maican ◽  
Elena Cocoradă
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Protective Role ◽  
Teacher Student ◽  
Quantitative Results ◽  
Mixed Approach ◽  
Student Relationship

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the online learning of foreign languages at higher education level has represented a way to adapt to the restrictions imposed worldwide. The aim of the present article is to analyse university students’ behaviours, emotions and perceptions associated to online foreign language learning during the pandemic and their correlates by using a mixed approach. The research used the Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE) scale and tools developed by the authors, focusing on task value, self-perceived foreign language proficiency, stressors and responses in online foreign language learning during the pandemic. Some of the results, such as the negative association between anxiety and FLE, are consistent with those revealed in studies conducted in normal times. Other results are novel, such as the protective role of retrospective enjoyment in trying times or the higher level of enjoyment with lower-achieving students. Reference is made to students’ preferences for certain online resources during the pandemic (e.g., preference for PowerPoint presentations) and to their opinions regarding the use of entirely or partially online foreign language teaching in the post-COVID period. The quantitative results are fostered by the respondents’ voices in the qualitative research. The consequences of these results are discussed with respect to the teacher-student relationship in the online environment and to the implications for sustainable online foreign language learning.

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