An analysis of the promotion of Chinese culture within an L3 language experience at the P5-7 Stages in selected Scottish primary schools

This study investigates the promotion of Chinese culture in selected Scottish primary schools through a third language experience. Three research questions give distinctive insights into current classroom practices, stakeholders’ cultural views and the programme’s impact on pupils’ understanding of the country and its people. Its conceptual base recognises the tensions that exist within the framing of ‘culture’ with particular emphasis on Post-colonial theory and related discourses around Orientalism. Given the paucity of Scottish research, the literature review is partly comparative in drawing upon selected global education systems. The research paradigm is interpretivist, employing a mixed methods model where a quantitative survey is used with P5-7 pupils across 5 schools and analysed through SPSS. Qualitative data is gathered through focus groups involving Scottish teachers, Hanban teachers, Professional Development Officers and pupils and uses NVivo software in assisting thematic analyses. Integration of datasets is achieved through joint presentation and discussion within 3 findings chapters. The results highlight classroom practices that can construe China, its culture and values through a traditional lens, emphasising ‘large culture’ or national narratives at the expense of exposure to ‘small cultures’ that may help exemplify everyday life and better balance pupils’ experiences. The L3 model in operation is almost entirely dependent on Hanban teachers with very few Scottish counterparts engaging due to a lack of confidence and training, which potentially distorts cross-cultural understanding, content and potential collaboration. Though worthwhile classroom practices certainly exist for expansion, curriculum delivery issues can impact on pupils’ progressive understanding and awareness of Chinese culture across the Primary 5-7 continuum and, at times, their attitudinal development. Recommendations and implications are offered for a range of stakeholders (schools, local authorities and relevant external organisations) in terms of policy, training and delivery which are relevant to wider language practices beyond this particular study and L3 provisions.This study investigates the promotion of Chinese culture in selected Scottish primary schools through a third language experience. Three research questions give distinctive insights into current classroom practices, stakeholders’ cultural views and the programme’s impact on pupils’ understanding of the country and its people. Its conceptual base recognises the tensions that exist within the framing of ‘culture’ with particular emphasis on Post-colonial theory and related discourses around Orientalism. Given the paucity of Scottish research, the literature review is partly comparative in drawing upon selected global education systems. The research paradigm is interpretivist, employing a mixed methods model where a quantitative survey is used with P5-7 pupils across 5 schools and analysed through SPSS. Qualitative data is gathered through focus groups involving Scottish teachers, Hanban teachers, Professional Development Officers and pupils and uses NVivo software in assisting thematic analyses. Integration of datasets is achieved through joint presentation and discussion within 3 findings chapters. The results highlight classroom practices that can construe China, its culture and values through a traditional lens, emphasising ‘large culture’ or national narratives at the expense of exposure to ‘small cultures’ that may help exemplify everyday life and better balance pupils’ experiences. The L3 model in operation is almost entirely dependent on Hanban teachers with very few Scottish counterparts engaging due to a lack of confidence and training, which potentially distorts cross-cultural understanding, content and potential collaboration. Though worthwhile classroom practices certainly exist for expansion, curriculum delivery issues can impact on pupils’ progressive understanding and awareness of Chinese culture across the Primary 5-7 continuum and, at times, their attitudinal development. Recommendations and implications are offered for a range of stakeholders (schools, local authorities and relevant external organisations) in terms of policy, training and delivery which are relevant to wider language practices beyond this particular study and L3 provisions

Promoting culture through an L3 experience : pushing at the boundaries?

The cultural element of language learning is seen as central to the goals of L3 provision within the current 1+2 languages policy (Scottish Government, 2012), yet remains an under-researched theme within this context and more widely, particularly in relation to studies which value 'pupil voice'. As part of David's wider review of the teaching of Chinese culture through L3 language inputs in Scottish schools, the experiences of pupils across P5-7 were examined to explore how these shaped their understanding, views and attitudes not only of China, but also in contrast with Scotland. In doing so, the broad principles of Personal Construct Theory (George Kelly, 1955) were used to create a space for discussion and reflection, which aimed to place pupils at the centre of the research. Using a thematic analysis (Braun and Clark, 2006, 2012, 2013) and viewing the results through the lens of 'large and small culture formation' (Holliday, 1999, 2018) gave rise to interesting results on pupils' notions of culture with implications for future practices in schools both within and outwith the Chinese and L3 contexts used in the study

Insiders, outsiders and inbetweeners : the experiences of exchange teachers promoting Chinese language and culture in Scottish schools

Scotland’s ‘1+2 policy’ affords schools the opportunity to support a range of languages and, within this context, the past decade has seen growth in the teaching of Chinese language and culture (CLC). This is in large part due to the resource offered by Confucius Institutes, supported by both the Scottish and Chinese Governments, particularly in the form of visiting Chinese exchange teachers (formally often known as ‘Hanban teachers’) who come to work in the host system for up to 2 years. As part of a larger doctoral study into the teaching of Chinese culture through a third language programme in Scottish primary schools, this paper considers data gathered from qualitative interviews to explore the experiences of two representative groups of these teachers during their time in the country. It contributes a Scottish perspective to existing literature and reflects upon the various roles and positions that these teachers adopt in trying to make sense of their time in classrooms and education systems different from their own. Though focused on CLC provision, the discussion has wider crossover beyond this to other visiting groups supporting various languages in Scotland

CISS 2012- 2022 : continuing the Journey

[Keynote address

Researcher reflexivity and positionality when interviewing in intercultural contexts

The teaching of Mandarin Chinese in UK primary schools has developed over the past decade or so but remains significantly under-researched. This paper draws upon a research project examining the promotion of Chinese language and culture (CLC). The study offers a unique and innovative insight into the topic as the author does not belong to a Chinese heritage or linguistic background, which has often been the case within this context. This allowed the research process to be revisited from the perspective of a ‘cultural outsider’ and to specifically explore reflexivity and positionality, which also highlight issues round social justice. The paper draws upon some qualitative aspects of the wider mixed methods study and the processes involved when preparing to interview focus groups of ‘Hanban teachers’: visiting Chinese specialists in CLC. This offers insights into some of the methodological challenges that faced the researcher when working interculturally and multilingually. Initial consideration is given to his own understanding of reflexivity (Berger, 2015) with particular reference to ‘positionality’ and ‘intersubjectivity’. These bring to the fore some of the broad issues of research ethics that can arise when working with participants from the cultural Other. In addressing these, specific illustrations from the interview processes identify where the author’s reflexivity came into play. These highlight links to the literature base that helped shape his positionality with regards to the framing of notions of culture within the interview questions used (Holliday, 2018), ways of mediating power imbalances between participants (Birks et al., 2007), and some thoughts on maintaining meaning in the process of translation (Srivastava, 2006). Finally, a summary of considerations when trying to carry out interviews in a reflexive manner is given to assist others, particularly teacher researchers, who might wish to consider research within cultural contexts where they are an 'outsider'

Plane Vibrations and Stability of Elastic Plates

We consider plane harmonic incremental displacements superimposed on a finite deformation, corresponding to pure homogeneous strain, of a plate with rectangular cross-section, for which motions normal to the plane of this cross- section are neglected. We assume that the plate is isotropic and hyperelastic, with the underlying finite deformation satisfying the strong-ellipticity condition, and consider both incompressible and compressible materials. Having set up the governing equations of finite and incremental elasticity we consider the incompressible case and study the problem with mixed traction-displacement boundary conditions defined on two opposing faces and pure traction boundary conditions defined on the other sides. It is found that, in general, nine distinct cases may occur and frequency equations are derived for each case in turn, with two separate modes possible in most cases. Necessary conditions for the existence of nontrivial solutions are obtained for both the static and the dynamic problems and, in order to study the frequency equations numerically, we consider the restriction to equibiaxial underlying deformations as well as looking at the full problem for two particular strain-energy functions. The corresponding problem for compressible materials is then considered and frequency equations, similar to those in the incompressible case, are derived. Unfortunately, due to the more complicated algebra, fewer explicit results can be obtained in this case, as compared to the incompressible case, but some necessary existence conditions are derived. Numerical results are obtained in the static case for three particular strain-energy functions and one of these stain-energy functions is then used to illustrate the full dynamic problem. Finally we consider the related problem of an infinite layer, of finite thickness, with traction boundary conditions applied on the surfaces, and show how the results for the finite plate can be applied to this problem

Prey and range use of lions on Tswalu Kalahari Reserve

The exact ecological and economic role of lion Panthera leo populations on small enclosed reserves is poorly understood. The management and monitoring of such populations is important to ensure their long-term survival. The prey use, range use and habitat selection of an isolated lion population were investigated. The study was conducted on a small (> 1000km2), enclosed predator camp of Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, situated in the Northern Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa. The prey selection, prey preferences and prey biomass removal were determined by using indirect and direct observations. Kill sites, carcasses and scats were located by spoor tracking and opportunistic observations and collated into a prey selection list. The prey selection was used to determine any prey preferences and the prey biomass removal by the lion population. The scats data was corrected for relative prey biomass and compared to the kill data and uncorrected scat data. 19 prey types were used, with the gemsbok Oryx gazelle and blue wildebeest Connochaetes taurinus being utilized most. The lion population had clear preferences for specific small and large mammals which concurred with other studies done on Kalahari lion behaviour. The prey biomass removal (9.9kg/Lion feeding Unit/day) was higher than several other studies done on lion consumption rates. The range use and habitat selection were determined by using direct and indirect observations. The minimum convex polygon method and kernel density estimates were used to delineate the ranges of the lion population. The mean range size of the Tswalu lions (91 km2) was similar to those found for lions in more mesic environments. The lions also had clear habitat preferences which depended on the habitat preferences of the prey and the prey density. A population viability analysis, using VORTEX 9.72, was conducted. An Ecological capacity was determined and used to model various environmental scenarios. The population was found to be viable, but constant monitoring and updating are needed. Management recommendations for the conservation of lions and their prey are provided.Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2010.Animal and Wildlife Sciencesunrestricte

Approaches to the Performance of Musical and Extra-Musical References in Shostakovich’s Viola Sonata

This paper is an examination of Shostakovich’s Viola Sonata, op. 147, for developing a stylistically informed performance practice. It is divided into three parts: The first is an investigation of symbolism present within the work itself; the second a comparative analysis of recordings; and the third a discussion of how the author uses these approaches to make performance decisions. The first aspect looks to the score itself to identify quotations of and allusions to other works, and considers the reasoning for this. The second analyses string choice and tempo of recordings to consider how these might reflect symbolic considerations. The third part discusses specific performance decisions, and the reasons on which they are based

Developing the rationale for teaching local languages to young language learners : a case study of teaching and learning Chinese language and culture in a Scottish primary school

This paper argues that teaching local languages – languages already in use in classrooms and communities served by schools – benefits primary school pupils in three ways: (1) inclusivity, providing opportunities for all children, with or without a pre-existing connection to the local language in question, to share and explore local languages and cultures; (2) transformational learning experiences, enabling all children to see themselves as (emergent) bilinguals; and (3) innovative pedagogies involving co-teaching and co-learning in the context of interdisciplinary initiatives. We illustrate this argument through a case study, drawn from a larger investigation (Roxburgh, 2021) into the teaching of (Mandarin) Chinese language and culture (CLC) in five Scottish primary schools. The original research adopted a mixed methods approach: a survey of pupil perspectives and interviews with primary class teachers, ‘Hanban’ teachers (Chinese specialists in CLC) and pupil focus groups. In several schools, Chinese was, typically, presented as the language of a faraway, exotic culture that pupils might one day experience themselves. In contrast, case study ‘School 3’ adopted a distinctive approach, focusing on local contexts where Chinese was in use. Interdisciplinary projects incorporated opportunities to meet and talk to Chinese speakers living in or visiting the area, with positive outcomes in terms of pupil motivation, developing their competence in Chinese through ‘here-and-now’ interaction, and changing pupils’ and teachers’ thinking about learning multilingually. Our reflections on the potential benefits of a shift from teaching foreign languages to local languages are framed in relation to the Douglas Fir Group’s ecological model for SLA (2016), and to recent calls to decolonise multilingualism (Phipps, 2019). Experimental initiatives, such as this case study, raise challenging questions about the purposes of language learning, particularly in the primary phase, about ‘effective’ approaches (and who gets to define these) and about how promising work can be sustained and developed

Towards effective and harmonized lion survey methodologies: a systematic review of practice across Africa

Understanding the population status of a species is vital for their conservation. Over the last two decades, multiple methods for surveying lion (Panthera leo) populations have been designed and tested. Each have strengths and weaknesses, with different applications, and varying levels of reliability, accuracy and precision. We conducted a PRISMA systematic review to identify and assess survey methods for estimating lion population abundance. We searched the Web of Science and Google Scholar for peer reviewed papers between January 1991 and December 2022. Sixty-five papers were included, with some using multiple methods or multiple study sites; when these were separated, 93 studies were identified. Seven broad population survey methods for lions were identified: call ups (34.8% of studies), spoor counts (32.5%), direct observations (15.7%), direct observations with capture recapture elements (12.4%), camera trap-based capture-recapture analysis (4.5%), genetic surveys (3%) and distance-based surveys (1.1%). Our literature review suggests that the most reliable methods for determining lion density or abundance are direct observations and camera trap-based capture recapture surveys. Genetic surveys combined with spatially-explicit capture recapture analysis also hold significant potential. Due to their lack of reliability and tendency to over-estimate populations, call ups and spoor counts are not recommended for determining population abundance. We further recommend that harmonized methods be developed that can produce comparable and reliable estimates, which can be used to inform conservation decisions across the species range