This historical study investigates the concept of learner autonomy in the national English language curricula for Chinese universities.It seeks to understand the meaning of learner autonomy in China and the intentiona...This historical study investigates the concept of learner autonomy in the national English language curricula for Chinese universities.It seeks to understand the meaning of learner autonomy in China and the intentionality of promoting this concept through the curricula from 1978 to 2007.By adopting Quentin Skinner’s intentionalist approach to analyzing the history of ideas,this study conducted a systematic document analysis of three national curricula in relation to their linguistic and practical contexts constituted of 169 Chinese academic articles in total.The study revealed that learner autonomy mainly referred to students’motivation and ability to work hard on their own outside the classroom in the Chinese context.Importing this concept,however,caused ideological confusion and exacerbated the disempowerment of teachers within the dynamics of China’s English language education at the tertiary level.The study raises awareness for borrowing concepts across different cultural contexts and has implications for research,policymaking,teacher development,and pedagogical practice in second language education in China.展开更多
Foreign language teachers＇ codeswitching （CS） between Foreign Language （FL） and Mother Tongue （MT） in class has been under discussion for years. Out of the pedagogical concern, many teaching practitioners condu...Foreign language teachers＇ codeswitching （CS） between Foreign Language （FL） and Mother Tongue （MT） in class has been under discussion for years. Out of the pedagogical concern, many teaching practitioners conducted various studies in different contexts aiming at describing, quantifying, and interpreting teachers＇ CS between FL and MT in class. However, up till now little attention is paid to students＇ perceptions and understandings of teachers＇ CS, which may help improve educators＇ understanding of the phenomenon in FL classrooms. This paper presents the result of two focus group interviews with groups of Chinese university students at their third and fourth year of college. Following a formal interview outline, issues on students＇ recall, understanding and evaluation of teachers＇ CS are addressed in the interview. Based on the analysis of the interviews, a better understanding on foreign language teachers＇ CS is gained, and students＇ perceptions on teachers＇ purposes and reasons for CS are drawn. A framework for investigating foreign language teachers＇ CS in Chinese universities is proposed with two hypotheses generated.展开更多
基金This work was supported by the MOE Project of Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences in Universities in China.
文摘This historical study investigates the concept of learner autonomy in the national English language curricula for Chinese universities.It seeks to understand the meaning of learner autonomy in China and the intentionality of promoting this concept through the curricula from 1978 to 2007.By adopting Quentin Skinner’s intentionalist approach to analyzing the history of ideas,this study conducted a systematic document analysis of three national curricula in relation to their linguistic and practical contexts constituted of 169 Chinese academic articles in total.The study revealed that learner autonomy mainly referred to students’motivation and ability to work hard on their own outside the classroom in the Chinese context.Importing this concept,however,caused ideological confusion and exacerbated the disempowerment of teachers within the dynamics of China’s English language education at the tertiary level.The study raises awareness for borrowing concepts across different cultural contexts and has implications for research,policymaking,teacher development,and pedagogical practice in second language education in China.
文摘Foreign language teachers＇ codeswitching （CS） between Foreign Language （FL） and Mother Tongue （MT） in class has been under discussion for years. Out of the pedagogical concern, many teaching practitioners conducted various studies in different contexts aiming at describing, quantifying, and interpreting teachers＇ CS between FL and MT in class. However, up till now little attention is paid to students＇ perceptions and understandings of teachers＇ CS, which may help improve educators＇ understanding of the phenomenon in FL classrooms. This paper presents the result of two focus group interviews with groups of Chinese university students at their third and fourth year of college. Following a formal interview outline, issues on students＇ recall, understanding and evaluation of teachers＇ CS are addressed in the interview. Based on the analysis of the interviews, a better understanding on foreign language teachers＇ CS is gained, and students＇ perceptions on teachers＇ purposes and reasons for CS are drawn. A framework for investigating foreign language teachers＇ CS in Chinese universities is proposed with two hypotheses generated.
