Researchers in the field of Second Language Acquisition （SLA） have been taking different routes. Some researchers make linguistic-cognitive issues their inquire object and pursue objectivity with quantitative resear...Researchers in the field of Second Language Acquisition （SLA） have been taking different routes. Some researchers make linguistic-cognitive issues their inquire object and pursue objectivity with quantitative research methods. Other researchers regard the social context of activity as an essential characteristic of learning and teaching. These groups of researchers make use of qualitative research methods like case study, grounded theory, narrative inquiry, and ethnography. There are many other routes that SLA researchers have taken, but the two just mentioned are perhaps the most predominant ones and the ones that are most easily contrasted. The present paper explores the disparity between the different research paths from the perspective of philosophy of science echoing the notion of incommensurability. In this paper the author argues that the differences between different SLA perspectives are not only commensurable but wholesome for the development of SLA.展开更多
This research compares a sample of the mainland Chinese university students （N = 325） and a sample of the British university students （N = 51） from a cross-cultural perspective by examining the relationships betwe...This research compares a sample of the mainland Chinese university students （N = 325） and a sample of the British university students （N = 51） from a cross-cultural perspective by examining the relationships between individual values and communicative competence. Specifically, it aims to gain an insight into cultural impact both on the Chinese university students＇ self-perceptions of communication competence in the Chinese cultural context and on the British university students＇ self-perceptions of communication competence in a Western cultural context. The findings suggest that the mainland Chinese university students＇ interdependent/independent self-construals best predict their self-perceptions of communication competence. Results indicate that both Western and Chinese social values influence the two samples＇ interdependent and independent self-construals, and the two samples＇ self-perceptions of communication competence and interdependent self-construals differ significantly展开更多
This article explores the strengths of ethnography as a methodology for exploring the complex social landscape of the contemporary Intemet. The article outlines the historical development of the Intemet, from Web 1.0 ...This article explores the strengths of ethnography as a methodology for exploring the complex social landscape of the contemporary Intemet. The article outlines the historical development of the Intemet, from Web 1.0 to a participatory Web 2.0 embedded within everyday life and ultimately to the prospect of an autonomous Internet of Things. The benefits of an ethnographic approach for understanding such developments in depth and examining taken-for-granted assumptions are outlined alongside an account of some of the challenges that digital technologies pose for an ethnographic methodology. Amongst these challenges are the difficulties inherent in mapping out a field site that effectively captures the complexity of online/offline connections and of developing a sufficient degree of immersion and co-presence for a rich understanding to be attained. Finally, the challenges offered by the emergence of mobile Internet, algorithmic filtering of information and unpredictable flows of data are explored. It is suggested that the ethnographer of the Internet can usefully position their task as being to explore a socially constructed yet technologically mediated landscape, immersing themselves in it, interrogating how others experience it and mapping the ways in which it becomes meaningful to those who navigate its complexities.展开更多
The deepening and widening of globalization have profoundly modified the world＇s political, economic and cultural landscapes as we know them. It calls for not only a green revolution in our ways of production and way...The deepening and widening of globalization have profoundly modified the world＇s political, economic and cultural landscapes as we know them. It calls for not only a green revolution in our ways of production and ways of life, but also a restructuring of the ＂knowledge-oriented＂ model of intellectual production that has served as bedrock to support the single-minded mentality of developmentalism. One of the possible routes to arrive at a new Weltanschauung is what I have termed as the ＂living wisdom＂ that can help to explicate the inexplicables by existing social theories. I argue in this paper that the Chinese living wisdom offers a nutshell view of how traditional resources can be made accessible for us to respond to current unprecedented chaJJenges facing htunamty. It is as much a best oppommky in the ＂metropolitan moment＂ for a ＂China＇s representation＂ as for other civilizations, cultures and nations, such as the ＂eco--social time＂ in primitive societies, the ancient European philosophies on ontology and cosmology, and the rejection of sagehood and intellect by Zhuangzi.展开更多
文摘Researchers in the field of Second Language Acquisition （SLA） have been taking different routes. Some researchers make linguistic-cognitive issues their inquire object and pursue objectivity with quantitative research methods. Other researchers regard the social context of activity as an essential characteristic of learning and teaching. These groups of researchers make use of qualitative research methods like case study, grounded theory, narrative inquiry, and ethnography. There are many other routes that SLA researchers have taken, but the two just mentioned are perhaps the most predominant ones and the ones that are most easily contrasted. The present paper explores the disparity between the different research paths from the perspective of philosophy of science echoing the notion of incommensurability. In this paper the author argues that the differences between different SLA perspectives are not only commensurable but wholesome for the development of SLA.
文摘This research compares a sample of the mainland Chinese university students （N = 325） and a sample of the British university students （N = 51） from a cross-cultural perspective by examining the relationships between individual values and communicative competence. Specifically, it aims to gain an insight into cultural impact both on the Chinese university students＇ self-perceptions of communication competence in the Chinese cultural context and on the British university students＇ self-perceptions of communication competence in a Western cultural context. The findings suggest that the mainland Chinese university students＇ interdependent/independent self-construals best predict their self-perceptions of communication competence. Results indicate that both Western and Chinese social values influence the two samples＇ interdependent and independent self-construals, and the two samples＇ self-perceptions of communication competence and interdependent self-construals differ significantly
文摘This article explores the strengths of ethnography as a methodology for exploring the complex social landscape of the contemporary Intemet. The article outlines the historical development of the Intemet, from Web 1.0 to a participatory Web 2.0 embedded within everyday life and ultimately to the prospect of an autonomous Internet of Things. The benefits of an ethnographic approach for understanding such developments in depth and examining taken-for-granted assumptions are outlined alongside an account of some of the challenges that digital technologies pose for an ethnographic methodology. Amongst these challenges are the difficulties inherent in mapping out a field site that effectively captures the complexity of online/offline connections and of developing a sufficient degree of immersion and co-presence for a rich understanding to be attained. Finally, the challenges offered by the emergence of mobile Internet, algorithmic filtering of information and unpredictable flows of data are explored. It is suggested that the ethnographer of the Internet can usefully position their task as being to explore a socially constructed yet technologically mediated landscape, immersing themselves in it, interrogating how others experience it and mapping the ways in which it becomes meaningful to those who navigate its complexities.
文摘The deepening and widening of globalization have profoundly modified the world＇s political, economic and cultural landscapes as we know them. It calls for not only a green revolution in our ways of production and ways of life, but also a restructuring of the ＂knowledge-oriented＂ model of intellectual production that has served as bedrock to support the single-minded mentality of developmentalism. One of the possible routes to arrive at a new Weltanschauung is what I have termed as the ＂living wisdom＂ that can help to explicate the inexplicables by existing social theories. I argue in this paper that the Chinese living wisdom offers a nutshell view of how traditional resources can be made accessible for us to respond to current unprecedented chaJJenges facing htunamty. It is as much a best oppommky in the ＂metropolitan moment＂ for a ＂China＇s representation＂ as for other civilizations, cultures and nations, such as the ＂eco--social time＂ in primitive societies, the ancient European philosophies on ontology and cosmology, and the rejection of sagehood and intellect by Zhuangzi.
