An ethnography of Taiwanese international students’ identity movements: habitus modification and improvisation

Many studies focus on Chinese-speaking international students’ (CHISs) adaptation issues inside and outside educational settings in the West. A strong emphasis has been placed on identifying CHISs’ problems and solving them through educational programs, pedagogies and curricula. This emphasis potentially categorizes CHISs as a cohort of students that, in particular, have issues learning and living in Western societies, ignoring that identity is complex and context-dependent. Drawing on a Bourdieuian post-structuralist perspective, this 18-month-long study documented the experiences of nine Taiwanese international students at different Australian universities before, during and after their one-year postgraduate education in Australia. This study compared their experiences and highlighted the complexity of identity movements. The findings present habitus modification and habitus improvisation, two notions developed from a Bourdieuian perspective. In conclusion, this study encourages reassessment of the standard notions of adaptation and prompts further exploration of how international students use their overseas experiences in the home context

Positioning the researcher in the studies of international students' identities - discussing autoethnographically

Previous studies on international students have helped identify issues that explain these students’ intercultural identities in relation to the learning in English-medium contexts. Scholarly attention has attached importance to the 'results' or the 'process' of the identity movements in the context of international education. Little attention has been paid to the conversations on the epistemology and theoretical framework that educational researchers have been using. This study is a response to Dervin’s plea (2011) for a change for the qualitative studies on international students' interculturality. With a Post-structuralist Bourdieuian thinking, I demonstrated how analyzing and providing the researcher’s positionality enhance the understanding towards the unspoken data and its analysis especially for the studies on international students’ identities

Positioning the researcher in the studies of international students' identities - discussing autoethnographically

Previous studies on international students have helped identify issues that explain these students’ intercultural identities in relation to the learning in English-medium contexts. Scholarly attention has attached importance to the 'results' or the 'process' of the identity movements in the context of international education. Little attention has been paid to the conversations on the epistemology and theoretical framework that educational researchers have been using. This study is a response to Dervin’s plea (2011) for a change for the qualitative studies on international students' interculturality. With a Post-structuralist Bourdieuian thinking, I demonstrated how analyzing and providing the researcher’s positionality enhance the understanding towards the unspoken data and its analysis especially for the studies on international students’ identities

Three Taiwanese students' identity transformations: the complexity within the same cohort of international students

Although the complexity of Chinese-speaking international students' (CHISs) identity transformation has been emphasized in previous research, there is a perceived linear and causal pattern between studying abroad and being intercultural. This pattern of thinking results in the risk of treating all the CHISs as the same in each cohort of students. Drawing on Bourdieu's notion of habitus, this auto/ethnographic study followed three Taiwanese international postgraduate students' lives over one year to elucidate the complexity of their identity transformation. The findings suggest a variety of identity changes resulting from the participants’ evaluation of their past, present and future situations

A preliminary study of applying interpreting skills to teaching English reading

Even though the established literature has proven that translation actually plays a significant role in English Language Teaching (ELT) as well as in Second Language Acquisition (SLA), there is lack of empirical evidence showing the correlation between the use of sight translation skills and learners' acquisition of English proficiency. This preliminary study recruited 14 English learners and investigated the potential effect of sight translation on the learners' learning outcomes. By comparing the frequencies of ambiguity and significant features appeared in the learners' reading performance in two different genres of texts, the results suggest that the skills of sight translation can successfully improve English learners' reading comprehension. Implications and potential research directions are further addressed

An in situ study on the coalescence of monolayer-protected Au-Ag nanoparticle deposits upon heating

The structural evolution of thiolate-protected nanoparticles of gold, silver, and their alloys with various Au/Ag ratios (3:1, 1:1, and 1:3) upon heating was investigated by means of in situ synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction. The relationships between the coalescence and composition of nanoparticles, as well as the surfactant reactions, were clarified. Experimental results show that there existed a critical temperature ranging from 120°C to 164°C, above which the tiny broad X-ray diffraction peaks became sharp and strong due to particle coalescence. The coalescence temperatures for alloy nanoparticle deposits were clearly lower than those for pure metals, which can be ascribed to the rivalry between the thermodynamic effect due to alloying and the interactions between surface-assembled layers and the surface atoms of the nanoparticles. The strong affinity of thiolates to Ag and thus complex interactions give rise to a greater energy barrier for the coalescence of nanoparticles into the bulk and subsequent high coalescence temperature. The influences of particle coalescence on the optical and electrical properties of the nanoparticle deposits were also explored

International students mobility: exploring identities and engagements

International Student Mobility presents an autoethnographic study, which follows a group of non-English speaking international students from Taiwan during a period of study in Australia. The study examines the ways in which the students’ sense of identity shifts over time, and why this happens. Hsieh engages Pierre Bourdieu’s notions of capital, habitus and field to develop an understanding of complexity of identity movements and asks to what extent the students see themselves as culturally and linguistically ‘international’, both during their time abroad and upon their return home. Perfect for researchers and advanced students interested in international higher education, International Student Mobility is also an insightful read for those investigating the experiences of Chinese-speaking international students

An auto/ethnography of overseas students’ identity movements

Chinese-speaking students are the biggest cohort of international students in Australian higher education. In this research field, a strong emphasis is placed on ‘orienting’ and supporting students to effectively navigate and benefit within the formal education system. A limitation of this emphasis is its focus on identifying and solving ‘problems’, such as the mismatch of curriculum and pedagogical practices. This project is different from other work in this space as it seeks to better understand the subjective experiences of students. It focuses on identity-work undertaken, and the internalisation, use, and performance of international-education experiences. Adopting a post-structural perspective, I explore tensions and instabilities of nine Taiwanese Masters students as they rework their sense of self in response to experiences and encounters, both in and out of higher education settings. As an English language teacher and fellow Taiwanese, my interest in this project is more than professional: there is a personal dimension that has made a substantial contribution to the study. Autoethnographic reflexivity is extensively drawn on in support of, and with a view to extending, a Bourdieuian framework that presents nuanced insights into the students’ identity movements. The study worked with the students before, during and after one-year postgraduate coursework programmes. Data came from interviews, field notes and my diary across this period. An important outcome of the study came as a result of reflecting on my own experiences, and then observing the participants as they responded to a range of feelings. I came to appreciate that, as I had done myself, they negotiated dilemmas when confronted by mismatches between expectations and realities. This study draws attention to internal instabilities as participants strategically reworked their identities in response to the external, ‘foreign’ environment in Australia. The thesis offers depth and complexity in terms of the identity work that may be undertaken across time and space, in and out of the classroom, and often resulting from unexpected everyday encounters

Functional study of Rice GA 2-oxidase I. Characterization of rice GA2ox2 and its T-DNA activation mutant M43852 II. Functional study of the conserved motifs in C20 type OsGA2ox6

GA 2-oxidases (GA2oxs) are enzymes involved in the GA catabolic pathway that hydroxylate the C-2 of active GAs or GA precursors to produce biologically inactive GAs. Ten GA2ox genes have been identified in rice and they were divided into C19-type (OsGA2ox1-4, 7-8 and 10) and C20-type OsGA2oxs (OsGA2ox5-6 and 9). The C20-type OsGA2oxs contains three conserved motifs that have not been previously studied and also a C19-type OsGA2ox2 gene which has not been characterized. The purpose of this study is to study the functions of OsGA2ox2 gene in rice and to elucidate the functional roles of the conserved motifs in C20-type OsGA2ox6. To study the function of OsGA2ox2, two T-DNA insertion mutants M43852 and M43211 with T-DNA tag inserted next to OsGA2ox2 gene were isolated and characterized. The mutant M43211 showed the same phenotype as TNG67 with no activation of OsGA2ox2, while M43852 revealed semi-dwarf with more tillers and showed increased expression of OsGA2ox2. Further experiments using transgenic rice to over-express OsGA2ox2 revealed severe dwarf yet fertile plants. The severe dwarf (35% of TNG67) phenomenon was different from the activation mutant M43852 (70% of TNG67), and the capability to produce seeds was in constrast to the C19-type GA2oxs over-expression transgenic rice plants which were mostly sterile. In addition, transgenic rice over-expressing OsGA2ox2 also resulted in increased expression of OsGA3ox2 and OsGA20ox2 genes and their dwarf phenotype could be partially recapitulated by adding GA3. Taken together, these results suggest that the OsGA2ox2 has GA 2-oxidase activity and is responsible for the dwarf phenotype observed in M43852 and over-expression transgenic rice. However, the different degrees of plant height between M43852 and over-expression transgenic rice could be attributed to the different levels of OsGA2ox2 expression. To elucidate the function of the conserved motifs in C20-type GA2oxs, 11 mutated OsGA2ox6 genes which each contain a single amino acid change in different conserved motifs were created and used to transform rice. Based on the dwarf degrees observed in the transgenic rice over-expressing different mutated genes, it can be observed that the mutant Y123A in motif I lost OsGA2ox6 activity completely, while mutants E140A, A141E and H143A in motif II lost OsGA2ox6 activity partially, whereas mutant G343A in motif III show reduced OsGA2ox6 activity. In summary, the C19-type GA2ox2 is a functional GA 2-oxidase when over-expression can reduce plant height and several critical amino acid sequences in the conserved motifs have been demonstrated to play a crucial role in determining the activity of OsGA2ox6.GA 2-oxidases (GA2oxs)能夠對活化態GA或是GA前驅物的C-2位置進行hydroxylation，使其轉變成不活化態，為GA代謝途徑的主要酵素。過去的研究中發現水稻具有十個GA2oxs且被分類為C19類型 (OsGA2ox1-4、7-8 & 10)和C20類型 (OsGA2ox5-6 & 9)，此外不論是C20類型的OsGA2oxs特有的三個保留性區域或是C19類型的OsGA2ox2，目前都沒有被研究過。因此本實驗之目的為研究水稻的OsGA2ox2之功能以及解釋三個保留性區域對於C20類型的OsGA2ox6扮演何種腳色。為了研究OsGA2xo2之功能，本實驗從T-DNA突變庫找到了兩個T-DNA插入位置在OsGA2ox2基因附近的T-DNA插入突變體M43852及M43211。M43211之外表性狀和TNG67相同且OsGA2ox2並沒有活化，然而M43852呈現半矮化、多分蘗和OsGA2ox2表現活化等情形。利用轉基因技術大量表現OsGA2ox2於轉殖株中，造成植株嚴重矮化，這樣嚴重矮化 (TNG67的35%)的性狀和M43852半矮化 (TNG67的70%)之性狀不同，另外轉殖株仍能夠結穗稔實這點與過去所探討的C19類型的OsGA2oxs其轉殖株皆無法結穗稔實不同。除此之外，轉殖株大量表現OsGA2ox2提高了OsGA3ox2和OsGA20ox2的表現量，且其株高能夠藉由處理GA3有部分回復的情形，綜合上述資料顯示OsGA2ox2可能具有GA 2-oxidase之酵素活性，因此造成M43852及轉殖株矮化之性狀，而M43852和轉殖株之間株高的差異性可能是因為OsGA2ox2表現量不同所導致。另一方面，為了解釋C20類型的GA2oxs三個保留性區域之功能，利用單一胺基酸置換製造十一個OsGA2ox6點突變構築並將其轉形至水稻，根據不同點突變轉殖株之株高，觀察到保留性區域I的Y123A失去了OsGA2ox6之酵素活性，保留性區域II的E140A、A141E及H143A喪失了部分的OsGA2ox6之酵素活性，而保留性區域III的G343A則輕微減少了OsGA2ox6之酵素活性。整體來說，C19類型的OsGA2ox2可能具有GA 2-oxidase之酵素活性，當大量表現OsGA2ox2時能夠減少植株之株高，而本實驗也從各保留性區域找到數個重要胺基酸能夠影響到OsGA2ox6之酵素活性。中文摘要. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .i 英文摘要. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ii 目錄. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii 圖表目錄. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vi 縮字對照表. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .vii 前言. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 前人研究 一、水稻基因功能的研究. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . ..3 二、綠色革命 (Green Revolution). . . . . . . . . . . . ..5 三、植物荷爾蒙吉貝素 (Gibberellin,GAs)及其生物合成路徑. .6 四、植物荷爾蒙吉貝素(Gibberellin,GAs)訊息傳導之相關研究. 7 五、DELLA蛋白質之相關研究 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 六、GA 2-oxidases (GA2oxs)之相關研究. . . . . . . . . . .8 七、C20 GA2oxs的三個保留性motifs之功能研究. . . . . . . 10 材料與方法 一、儀器及設備. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .12 二、藥品. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 三、T-DNA插入突變株處理. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 四、T-DNA插入點鄰近序列之分析 (1) 水稻基因組序列DNA之萃取. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 (2) 勝任細胞之製備. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .13 (3) 質體轉型作用. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 14 (4) 菌落聚合酶連鎖反應 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 14 (5) 質體DNA之萃取. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 14 五、南方墨點法 (1) DNA轉漬膜的製備. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 (2) 探針製備 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 15 (3) 探針雜合. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 (4) 自動放射顯影. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 六、基因偵測表現 (1) 水稻Total RNA萃取 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .16 (2) 反轉錄聚合酶鏈鎖反應 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 (3) 基因表現量偵測之聚合酶鏈鎖反應 . . . . . . . . . . .17 七、 Ubi:OsGA2ox2和Ubi:OsGA2ox6各點突變水稻轉殖株之構築與分 析 (1) 植物表現載體OsGA2ox2/UMP/pCAMBIA-1301之構築 . . .17 (2)OsGA2ox6之點突變築. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 (3) 植物表現載體之水稻轉殖及再生. . . . . . . . . ...18 (4) 轉殖株構築確認之聚合酶鏈鎖反應 . . . . . . . . . 18 八、蛋白抗體製備 (1) 蛋白表現載體OsGA2ox2/pET30a(+)之構築. . . . . . .19 (2) 菌落聚合酶連鎖反應 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 (3) 小量表現OsGA2ox2蛋白質. . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 (4) 大量表現OsGA2ox2蛋白質. . . . . . . . . . . . .. 20 (5) OsGA2ox2可溶性蛋白之回收. . . . . . . . . . . . .20 (6) OsGA2ox2不可溶之蛋白回收 . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 九、蛋白質表現之分析 (1) 水稻總蛋白質之萃取 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 (2) 蛋白質濃度測定. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 (3) SDS-PAGE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 (4) 西方墨點法. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 十、萌芽測試. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 23 結果 OsGA2ox2之功能研究探討 一、T-DNA突變株M43211和M43852其T-DNA插入點之分析.. . .24 二、突變株M43211及M43852的T-DNA插入位置之確認. . . . .24 三、突變株M43211及M43852之Putative GA 2-oxidase 2表現分 析. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..25 四、突變株M43852之T-DNA拷貝數確認. . . . . . . . . . .26 五、突變株M43852之田間性狀觀察. . . . . . . . . . . . 27 六、Putative GA 2-oxidase 2之不同預測型式的確認. . . .28 七、OsGA2ox2植物表現載體之構築. . . . . . . . . . . . 29 八、Ubi:OsGA2ox2 T0水稻轉殖株之確認及分析. . . . . . .29 九、OsGA2ox2蛋白表現之分析. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 十、突變株M43852插入點附近之基因分析. . . . . . . . . 31 十一、Ubi:OsGA2ox2 T1轉殖株之分析. . . . . . . . . . .32 OsGA2ox6三個保留性區域之功能研究探討 一、OsGA2ox6之結構預測及點突變之構築. . . . . . . . . 33 二、OsGA2ox6點突變構築轉殖株之確認與分析. . . . . . . 34 討論 一、M43852與Ubi:OsGA2ox2的株高差異性. . . . . . . . . 36 二、Ubi:OsGA2ox2與其他OsGA2oxs轉殖株比較之特異性. . . 37 三、OsGA2ox6點突變對其酵素活性可能之影響. . . . . . ..38 結論. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .40 參考文獻. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .41 表. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 圖. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 附表. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..68 表目錄 Table 1、 The gene distrubution flanking to the T-DNA insertion locus in mutant M43852 between 20 kb region. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Table 2、 Agronomic traits of TNG67 and a T-DNA insertion mutant M43852. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Table 3、 Summary of the characteristics of 11 OsGA2ox6 mutants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 圖目錄 圖一、T-DNA突變株M43211之插入點訊息及兩側基因之分布情形. . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 圖二、T-DNA突變株M43852之插入點訊息及兩側基因之分布情形. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 圖三、T-DNA突變株M43211、M43852之T2植株基因分型測試. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 圖四、OsGA2ox2 (Gene-03)基因在T-DNA突變株M43211、M43852和 TNG67之表現分析. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 圖五、OsGA2ox2 (Gene-03)活化之T-DNA突變株M43852其T4子代之 T-DNA拷貝數. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 圖六、T-DNA突變株M43852其成熟植株和幼苗生長之性狀差異. . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 57 圖七、OsGA2ox2在RiceGAAS中三種不同預測型式之確認. . . 58 圖八、OsGA2ox2之轉殖構築與定序結果. . . . . . . . . . 59 圖九、Ubi:OsGA2ox2之T0轉殖株幼苗及成熟株之外表性狀. . 60 圖十、OsGA2ox2/pET30a(+)之構築與OsGA2ox2之小量蛋白誘導.61 圖十一、Ubi:OsGA2ox2和TNG67之OsGA2ox2蛋白含量之比較. . 62 圖十二、Ubi:OsGA2ox2 T0轉殖株之外表性狀和M43852之差異. 63 圖十三、Ubi:OsGA2ox2幼苗和M43852及TNG67 15 幼苗之比較. 64 圖十四、OsGA2ox6蛋白質之點突變位置及構築. . . . . . . .65 圖十五、OsGA2ox6點突變株轉殖再生及確認. . . . . . . . .66 圖十六、OsGA2ox6點突變轉植株之成熟株外表性狀及基因表現關係. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 附表 附表一、本研究所使用之引子組合相關資訊. . . . . ... . .6

Teaching Korean as a lingua franca: digital uplifting project at UNSW Sydney

With the strategic supports of the Inspired Learning Initiative (ILI) Program by the Office of the Pro-Vice Chancellor (Education) of UNSW Sydney, the beginners’ Korean courses (Introductory Korean A & B) received financial and technological supports to carry out a one-year digital uplifting project. The project was undertaken from August 2017 to July 2018, and this paper reports on its outcomes. The developments explained are, (1) pre-recorded lectures with Wirecast live streaming technology and lightboard, (2) trialling and implementation of PronounceMate, peer-review auto-correction pronunciation software, (3) Moodle-based online Korean language activities, including quizzes, conversations in 2D computer animation, grammar revisions in whiteboard explainer videos and cartoon-like graphics, as well as 360˚ virtual reality on Insadong-gil and Gwanghwamun area in Seoul, and (4) in-class cultural conversation activities with functional Korean speakers. The significance of this paper, however, does not lie in the details of what the Korean Program at UNSW Sydney has achieved. It does in having added a sociological dimension to the discussion on teaching Korean as a foreign language (KFL), which has traditionally been couched in Applied Linguistics. While the main focus in teaching KFL has been on what to teach and how to teach, this paper raises a ‘why-we-teach’ question, arguing that we also need to look at pedagogical implications for ‘learning as belonging’ and ‘learning as becoming’. The foundation theory of the ILI project is Wenger’s (1998) notion of meaningfulness in his Communities of Practice (CoP); our teaching attention was shifted from “how much non-background Korean speaker students can learn from beginners’ Korean courses” to “how they are becoming intercultural in Australia’s multicultural society”. We thus motivate our students to pursue their identity as functional users of Korean and encourage them to engage with Korean communities