Review of Individual differences in language learning: A complex systems theory perspective; Authors: Carol Griffiths, Adem Soruç; Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2020; ISBN: 978-3-030-52900-0; Pages: 220

Book Review: Individual differences in language learning: A complex systems theory perspective. Authors: Carol Griffiths, Adem Soruç. Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2020. ISBN: 978-3-030-52900-0. Pages: 220

Aprendizaje de la lengua portuguesa y acceso al capital: un estudio sobre estudiantes universitarios de Macao

This paper reports on an inquiry into a group of students’ Portuguese language learning with a focus on their access to economic, social, and cultural capital. The inquiry problematizes the traditional uncritical assumption of a shared pursuit of linguistic competence among students. Drawing on individual in-depth interviews with 14 participants at a university in Macau, this article illustrates how local and mainland Chinese students related their Portuguese language learning to the acquisition of different forms of capital, respectively. Specifically, our analysis reveals that economic capital dominated in the local participants’ pursuits, with cultural and social capital being less influential, whereas among mainland Chinese participants the influence of economic capital was weak and unsustainable, with a balanced distribution of cultural and social capital. The findings also suggest that the participants’ family contexts and social networks shaped their pursuits of different forms of capital in Portuguese learning, implying that educational institutions and teachers need to reframe their learning resources and pedagogical strategies for Portuguese language learners in Macau, placing greater emphasis on reinforcing students’ social connections with Portuguese or local Macanese communities.Este estudio investiga el aprendizaje de la lengua portuguesa de un grupo de estudiantes con un enfoque en su acceso al capital económico, social y cultural. La investigación cuestiona la tradicional suposición acrítica de la búsqueda compartida de la competencia lingüística entre los estudiantes. Basándose en entrevistas individuales a profundidad con 14 participantes en una universidad de Macao, este estudio ilustra cómo los estudiantes locales y los de China continental relacionaron su aprendizaje del idioma portugués con la adquisición de diferentes formas de capital. En concreto, nuestro análisis revela que los participantes buscaron principalmente el capital económico, siendo el capital cultural y social menos influyente, mientras que, entre los participantes de China continental, la influencia del capital económico fue débil e insostenible, con una distribución equilibrada de capital cultural y social. Los resultados también sugieren que los contextos familiares y las redes sociales de los participantes determinaron su búsqueda de diferentes formas de capital en el aprendizaje del portugués, lo que implica que las instituciones educativas y los docentes deben reestructurar sus recursos de aprendizaje y estrategias pedagógicas para los estudiantes de lengua portuguesa en Macao, poniendo mayor énfasis en el refuerzo de las conexiones sociales de los estudiantes con las comunidades portuguesas o macaenses locales

Family language policy and planning in China::the changing langscape

In this editorial introduction, we present what motivated us to organise this collection of studies on family language policy and planning (FLPP) in the Chinese contexts. In order to better understand why ethnic minority languages and fangyans (also known as dialects or regionalects) are challenged by the official Chinese language, Putonghua, the introduction situates this group of studies in the disciplinary context, and proposes the family as a critical site where macro and meso language policies penetrate the private domain and influence the process of family language decisions. By looking at the interactions between families, schools, communities and workplaces, we can also trace the sociolinguistic and political environments in which language shift takes place. In the discussion of these contextual factors in China, we argue for the need to explore family and language changes in Chinese contexts. The introduction concludes with an overview of the studies included in this special issue, highlighting the key claims put forward by the contributors

Chinese Teachers’ Views on the Increasing Use of Putonghua as a Medium of Instruction in Hong Kong Schools

The use of a particular language as medium of instruction (MOI) is a complex issue in multilingual and post-colonial contexts such as Hong Kong, on which teachers’ voices are often neglected. To capture their voices, this paper reports on an interpretive inquiry of eight experienced Chinese teachers’ professional experiences with a focus on their perceptions concerning the increasing use of Putonghua as MOI in Chinese classes in Hong Kong. Through a collaborative interpretative process, the study revealed a wide spectrum of perceptions including reservations and enthusiasm for the switch to Putonghua as MOI. The findings suggest that the participants’ perceptions could be explained by references to shifting political, demographical conditions, the participants’ experiences of curriculum reforms and their concerns with pedagogical conditions. The paper ends with a discussion for the study’s implications for Chinese language teacher education in Hong Kong and elsewhere

Language learners’ emotion regulation and enjoyment in an online collaborative writing program

Collaborative learning in online contexts is emotionally challenging for language learners. To achieve successful learning outcomes, language learners need to regulate their emotions and sustain positive emotions during the collaborative learning process. This study investigated language learners’ emotion regulation and enjoyment, the most extensively researched positive emotion in foreign language learning, in an online collaborative English learning environment. In the study, we collected data by surveying 336 Chinese students majoring in English who collaboratively completed a series of English language writing tasks in 108 online groups facilitated by a social media app (WeChat). Principal component analysis revealed two primary types of emotion regulation: peer regulation and group regulation. The analysis also revealed one factor underpinning enjoyment: enjoyment of online collaboration. Correlation analysis showed medium and positive relationships between peer regulation, group regulation, and enjoyment of online collaboration. Structural equation modeling analysis further found that group regulation exerted a medium-sized direct effect on enjoyment of online collaboration. Peer regulation affected enjoyment of online collaboration moderately and indirectly via group regulation. The theoretical and pedagogical implications of the findings can help to optimize face-to-face and online collaborative language learning activities.Collaborative learning in online contexts is emotionally challenging for language learners. To achieve successful learning outcomes, language learners need to regulate their emotions and sustain positive emotions during the collaborative learning process. This study investigated language learners’ emotion regulation and enjoyment, the most extensively researched positive emotion in foreign language learning, in an online collaborative English learning environment. In the study, we collected data by surveying 336 Chinese students majoring in English who collaboratively completed a series of English language writing tasks in 108 online groups facilitated by a social media app (WeChat). Principal component analysis revealed two primary types of emotion regulation: peer regulation and group regulation. The analysis also revealed one factor underpinning enjoyment: enjoyment of online collaboration. Correlation analysis showed medium and positive relationships between peer regulation, group regulation, and enjoyment of online collaboration. Structural equation modeling analysis further found that group regulation exerted a medium-sized direct effect on enjoyment of online collaboration. Peer regulation affected enjoyment of online collaboration moderately and indirectly via group regulation. The theoretical and pedagogical implications of the findings can help to optimize face-to-face and online collaborative language learning activities

Data analysis

This chapter examines the data analysis stage of the PhD candidature. It begins with a discussion of key issues concerning qualitative data analysis raised in relevant literature, then provides an overview of my project, before moving on to narrate and discuss my own experience – strategies, struggles, and rewards – of tackling large amounts of multiple-sourced and multi-layered data. The account goes chronologically from initial data processing, coding, and theory construction to writing up the findings. Three aspects are highlighted: dealing with multiple-sourced bilingual data, inductive and/or deductive analysis, and reflection and reflexivity. The section concludes by considering the data analysis phase in terms of academic and personal development

Teacher cognition in teaching intercultural communicative competence: A qualitative study on preservice Chinese language teachers in Hong Kong SAR, China

The purpose of this study is to examine preservice Chinese language teachers’ cognition in teaching intercultural communicative competence. In the study we collected data through in-depth interviews with seven preservice teachers in a Master of Education program (Teaching Chinese as a Second Language, TCSL) at a university in Hong Kong SAR, China. The findings indicated that the participants had a relatively positive attitude and inclination toward the development of students’ intercultural communicative competence, while their conceptualizations of culture tended to be static and ambiguous. In addition, the participants’ objectives in teaching intercultural communicative competence were found to be more attitude-than knowledge- or skill-oriented. The study offers valuable insights that preservice language teachers’ cognition plays a crucial role in their future professional development and calls for curricular innovations with intercultural aims in teacher education programs