Promoting the Learners’Motivation in Learning Chinese as a Second Language:From Demotivation to Motivational Strategies

Motivation is a key factor that influences the outcome of second language(L2)learning.Chinese as a second language(CSL)learners,however,may experience demotivation in their Chinese learning process which will,more often than not,reduce their learning interest and eventually affect their learning effect,therefore,it is necessary to enhance the learners’motivation level.This article first reviews the research literature in motivation in general,then discusses the CSL learners’demotivation in their Chinses learning process studying in China.Finally,it introduces motivational strategies to activate CSL learners’motivation in learning Chinese.

Applying Nearpod to the Teaching Chinese as a Second Language Class to Enhance Interactions and Collaborations in the Secondary Schools

The quick spread of the epidemic since 2019 together with fast advancing of technology has exposed teachers to online education,including Teaching Chinese as a Second Language(TCSL)classrooms.Some Chinese as a Second Language(CSL)teachers were reluctant to utilize technology tools in their teaching due to the lack of technological knowledge.Thus,this study designed a CSL curriculum with the lens of the TPACK framework(Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge).Nearpod was specifically adopted as a web-based technology tool to support the teaching Chinese language due to its powerful functions provided.Nearpod allows teachers to design interactive activities in multiple ways to facilitate interactions and collaboration in the CSL learning process.This paper aimed to help Chinese teachers improve their understanding of how to effectively integrate technology into CSL teaching.Chinese teachers will develop a deeper comprehension of distance teaching from the perspectives of technology,pedagogy,and content knowledge,enhance students’deeper learning,and promote interaction and collaboration in L2 class.The effective use of the technology can develop language skills in a meaningful context knowledge with the guidance of pedagogical content knowledge.

Introduction to Special Column “Chinese as a Second Language Learning and Teaching”

Chinese as a second language （CSL） policy makers and scholars began to introduce task-based language teaching （TBLT） to CSL teaching more than a decade ago. However, policy innovations or theoretical precepts are not necessarily the blueprints of teachers＇ classroom practice. It is assumed that teachers are more likely to accept or apply the new approach if the new philosophy is concordant with their existing beliefs. This study attempts to examine the prospect of TBLT application in CSL teaching by exploring the extent to which TBLT philosophy has found its way into CSL teachers＇ beliefs. The research also probes into teachers＇ practices to explore whether their beliefs in TBLT could be actualized. A questionnaire, classroom observations and interviews have been employed. The results indicate that the Chinese teachers have strong faith in the effectiveness of TBLT, but they doubt its feasibility. Their difficulties and confusion in realizing their beliefs in practice, in turn, lead to their faith in TBLT philosophy having a peripheral status in their belief system. This may imply the bi-directional causal relationships between teachers＇ beliefs and practices. The factors revealed make clear the responsibilities or measures to be taken at social-cultural, institutional and internal levels. The findings generate empirical insights into implementations of pedagogical innovations.

The Implementation and Evaluation of Training Course for Chinese as Second Language E-Teacher

In this study, we made references to past literatures and developed an e-learning training program for CSL （Chinese as a Second Language） teachers. The class was held from July to August, 2010, in Chinese Culture University （Taiwan）, and we designed a performance-evaluation questionnaire with the Delphi method. Three months after the training program was completed, the questionnaire was given to the 30 students of the class, and they were asked to answer questions regarding their use of e-learning in the actual practice. We also asked 5 teachers to conduct experimental e-learning for us to video-record and observe. This effort allows us to discuss the use of e-learning among CSL teachers in Taiwan, come up with a conclusion and suggestions, and use the findings as references for course-planning and policies or research regarding the digital learning of Chinese.

Research on the Application of Chinese-Style Songs in the Field of Chinese Second Language Teaching

In recent years,traditional Chinese culture has been continuously revived,integrated into the times and entered people’s daily lives.Chinese-style songs,as a combination of traditional cultural connotations and emerging song forms,have gradually emerged on the music stage in China and even around the world.In the field of teaching Chinese as a second language,the research on teaching Chinese songs has received increasing attention.This article combines the theory of the association between music and language to summarize the research results of Chinese-style songs and their application in the field of teaching Chinese as a second language in the past 30 years.The current research problems are discussed,and suggestions are proposed in order to provide some reference value for teaching Chinese as a second language.

Producing Podcasts in a Chinese Classroom: A Digital Humanities Project

This action research which situates itself in the context of Digital Humanities focuses on engaging students of Introductory Chinese course with an assignment to create podcasts in the form of an interview.Requiring students to integrate the aural,oral,and textural information via technology so as to carry a conversation with an interlocutor challenges them to convey their thoughts from the language they think in into meaningful ideas using the target language.In this way,students are“pushed”to convert their listening,speaking,and writing from being isolated components into a more dynamic and cohesive mode of communicating.As they explore expressing their ideas in the language they are learning,they develop the skills and sensibility needed to critically analyze their own work.Although limited in scale,the podcast format urges students to transform what they need to learn into a familiar product.

Teaching Chinese to Ethnic Minority Students in Hong Kong:A Systematic Review

This paper presents a systematic review of research on Chinese as a Second Language(CSL)education for ethnic minority students in Hong Kong SAR.Using three databases and screening with specific inclusion and exclusion criteria,the study selected 38 empirical studies published in English-language peer-reviewed journals.We find that there has been a surge of publications in Hong Kong in the past decade(2010–2020),and they are mostly authored by scholars from three universities in Hong Kong.Most of the research took a phenomenological approach,using interviews as the main data collection method and focusing on underprivileged South Asian students in secondary schools.The thematic analysis showed that Hong Kong’s CSL adopted a poststructuralist paradigm for understanding and revealing social inequalities surrounding Chinese language education for ethnic minority students.The study concludes that Hong Kong must decolonise its education system to genuinely support ethnic minority students to achieve educational equality and social justice.

L2 Chinese Reading Comprehension among BeginningLevel, K-12 Learners: A Literature Review

This review focuses on beginning-level,K-12,L1 English learners,and considers their reading comprehension of texts written in Chinese characters and literacy development.Instructional approaches,materials design,and teaching and learning strategies related to reading texts in Chinese characters in these settings are reviewed.This review includes both empirical studies and think pieces that appeal to prior empirical work in L2 Chinese reading to understand what Chinese as a Second Language scholars research,discuss,and advocate about reading comprehension for L2 learners mainly at beginning levels of K-12 education.This literature review therefore includes a variety of source materials:empirical research,research-informed advocacy and think pieces,and action research studies by Chinese language instructors.The article concludes with observations about the state of research and current recommendations in Chinese as a second language reading comprehension.

A Review of Research on Technology-Assisted Teaching and Learning of Chinese as a Second or Foreign Language from 2008 to 2018

More and more studies are examining the use of technology in the teaching of Mandarin Chinese as a second or foreign language(L2 Chinese).The current study involved a systematic review of the literature in the field published outside China from 2008 to 2018.A total of 33 studies met the inclusion criteria.The current review study aimed:(1)to examine the research topics and technologies used in the literature;(2)to identify the benefits of,and challenges involved in,the use of technologies in L2 Chinese teaching and learning;and(3)to suggest implications for practitioners and directions for further research.The review study provides educators and researchers with an overview of recent developments in this field,which could be helpful in informing teaching practice and further research.

The Teaching and Learning of Chinese as a Second or Foreign Language:The Current Situation and Future Directions

In this opening commentary,we highlight the development of the teaching and learning of Chinese as a second or foreign language(CSL/CFL),which has attracted much attention from researchers,language educators,and other stakeholders worldwide.To contribute to this ongoing examination and discussion,this special issue documents the collective efforts of scholars in different educational contexts to review six critical issues in teaching and learning CSL/CFL:learning and instruction of reading Chinese as an additional language,Chinese character teaching and learning,learner identity in CSL/CFL education,teaching and learning Chinese through immersion,technology assisted CSL/CFL teaching and learning,and mobile assisted learning CFL.We contend that all efforts to address these critical issues require constant examination to facilitate further development in CSL/CFL education around the world.

A Study of Vocabulary Teaching in Junior Comprehensive TCSL Courses

Vocabulary teaching is an integral part of teaching Chinese as a second language(TCSL).Based on a collection and analysis of words that foreign students at the junior level usually get wrong,①this paper suggests that TCSL teachers should make sure that new words in textbooks are explained accurately and foresee the words that students may misunderstand during vocabulary teaching.In addition to conceptual meanings,they should analyze and explain affiliated meanings,grammatical functions,and common collocations with other words through typical sentence examples.They should also pay attention to the potential role played by the semantic transparency of words in understanding,acquiring,and selecting the meanings of such words.The teaching of separable words should focus on their pragmatic forms.Simple conversations can be made to strengthen students’memorization,while quantifiers can be taught via their etymology to help students develop a reasonable understanding of the collocation rules between quantifiers and corresponding nouns.

The Relationship Between Orthographic Awareness and Chinese Reading in Hong Kong’s Young CSL Learners

Purpose:This study investigates young Chinese as a second language(CSL)learners’Chinese character reading performance and its relationship with their orthographic awareness.There is a pressing need to gain a better understanding of Hong Kong’s ethnic minority students’CSL acquisition,so that more effective instruction can be provided.Design/Approach/Methods:A total of 157 Hong Kong ethnic minority CSL students in Grade 4 were evaluated using a range of assessments:orthographic awareness in identifying and utilizing character components,listening comprehension for vocabulary terms and short texts,and reading Chinese character lists with single-and two-character words.Findings:The students performed consistently across the two lists but made fewer errors when reading the two-character word list,most of which were orthographical.Multiple regression analysis showed that the students’orthographic awareness contributed significantly to their character reading.Originality/Value:The findings suggest that orthographic awareness can help ethnic minority CSL learners improve their Chinese character reading skills.Chinese classes provided for such students,and for CSL learners in general,should place greater focus on literacy training.

A Systematic Review of the Research on Chinese Character Teaching and Learning

Using a thematic analysis methodology,this paper attempts a critical review of published articles on Chinese character teaching and learning in and outside China between 2005 and 2019,highlighting contributions scholars made to the current literature as well as identifying gaps in the research.The analysis reveals that there is a rather large gap in the use of research methodologies between the two sets of articles,with publications in China predominantly adopting non-empirical approaches while most articles published outside China are empirical.Besides,the use of computer-assisted language learning(CALL)in character teaching and learning seems to be a key research topic outside China,while exploring new pedagogical ideas and strategies attracts more interest among scholars in China.The paper concludes with suggestions for future research directions and a call for more diverse research paradigms and mixed-method perspectives.

科技辅助第二语言教学研究趋势及其对国际中文教育的启示

In recent years,the enabling role of technology has been widely recognized in second language teaching and learning.Using a co-word analysis approach,this study aims to present the state-ofthe-art current literature in technology enhanced language learning.The analysis results show that most popular research themes from 2010 to 2020 are CMC,L2 writing,teacher education,L2 motivation,students’attitudes,SLA,L2 vocabulary learning,L2 reading,EFL,and L2 learners.Compared with these key themes,publications on technology enhanced teaching Chinese as a foreign language focus more on the investigation of the effectiveness of the use of latest technologies such as smart phones,virtual reality,intelligent tools,and gamification.Based on the findings of these investigations,the latest developments in these areas are synthesized and presented accordingly.In addition,newly-emerged key themes about the co-word analysis are also reported and their contributions to future investigations is briefly discussed.The implications for future research in technology enhanced teaching Chinese as a foreign language is also discussed.