Mapping metacognitive awareness of Chinese language learners

The role of metacognitive awareness on language teaching and learning have been confirmed by several studies, but the discussions of this topic in Chinese as foreign language are limited. The aim of the present research was to map metacognitive awareness profile of Chinese language learners. Total respondent of this research was 80 Chinese language learners (38 males and 42 females) which comprise secondary students. Convenience sampling technique was employed to select the respondents. Meanwhile, the metacognitive awareness data were collected utilizing Junior Metacognitive Inventory. The obtained data were analyzed using descriptive statistic. Mann-Whitney U Test was employed to investigate the significance differences of metacognitive awareness between male and female. The findings showed that 46.25% of Chinese Language Learners have a good metacognitive knowledge, 28.75% fair, 20% very good, 3.75% poor, and 1.25% very lacking. The finding also showed that 40% students have good metacognitive regulation, 36.25% fair, 15% very good, 7.50% poor, and 1.25% very lacking. In addition, between male and female students have no significant difference in knowledge of cognition. On the contrary, regulation of cognition female learners (Mdn= 32.50) significantly (U= 551.000, p0.05) better compared to male (Mdn= 30).

Raciolinguistic ideology in first-year university (non)heritage Chinese classes

This qualitative case study explores how raciolinguistic ideology of Chinese heritage is collectively shaped in first-year non-heritage Mandarin classes in one US university, but individually told by two minoritized (ethnolinguistically marginalized) heritage learners and two non-heritage learners. Their experiences in learning Mandarin Chinese as a non-heritage language elucidate how Chinese language learners negotiate their ethnolinguistic identities in the transnational world. The stories of four Chinese language learners demonstrate how their raciolinguistic ideology is collectively shaped by a complex racialization process while negotiating their race, ethnicity, culture, language, and transnationality. The present study challenges the raciolinguistic ideologies of the institutionalized norms of defining heritage and non-heritage learners as learner-trait terms. Implications for researchers and practitioners of Language Learning Centers beyond US higher education are drawn.

The Commodification of Chinese in Thailand’s Linguistic Market: A Case Study of How Language Education Promotes Social Sustainability

In recent decades, the commodification of the English language has aroused intensive research interest in the sociolinguistics on a global scale, but studies on the commodification of the Chinese language are relatively rare. Most studies take a critical approach in relation to its adverse impacts on minority rights and social justice. This study examined the language landscape in Chiangmai, Thailand, and the linguistic beliefs of local Thai Chinese language learners. Based on their feedback, this study investigated the commodification of Chinese language education in the community of Chinese language learners in Chiangmai. We found that from a less critical perspective, the commodification of a second language provides more accessible and affordable educational opportunities for learners, especially those from low-income families, and at the same time language proficiency can broaden learners’ career choices and provide employees with additional value in industries, such as tourism, commerce, and services. This finding implies that language commodification, rather than typically being associated with linguistic imperialism and unbalanced socio-economic status, can be a contributing factor in promoting higher-education availability and social sustainability in certain circumstances. There may be some mediating factors between the commodification of language and changes in the sustainable balance of language, opening up space for future research to explore.

Differentiating and teaching the Chinese near-synonyms kongpa and pa

Previous research and data from learner corpora show that Chinese language learners have a hard time differentiating kǒngpà (恐怕) and pà (怕). However, there has been little research analyzing the differences between the two words. Therefore, this study aims to distinguish kǒngpà and pà when both words denote worry toward a probable event. Adopting the corpus-based analysis approach, the researchers explain the semantic and pragmatic differences between kǒngpà and pà. Based on the research findings, the researchers propose discovery-oriented activities and drill practice to guide students to use the two words correctly. The researchers further argue that research findings from corpora data should be included in textbooks and integrated into Chinese language instruction.