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.

Sociocultural Theory on Interaction between Teachers and Learners in a Second Language Classroom

This article offers an overview of theoretical ideas and recent empirical research by referring to the interactive communication between teachers and learners in a second language classroom.Both the interaction of teacher-centered classroom and learner-centered classroom are reviewed within the context of sociocultural theory.The paper attempts to indicate the better effect of language learning can be achieved by complementing one another in the classroom of teacher-centeredness and learner-centeredness.

Attitudes of Second Language Learners towards Code-switching in L2 Classroom

This paper chiefly examines the attitudes of second language learners,specifically,Chinese postgraduate students studying in the UK,towards code-switching between English and Mandarin in group discussion in L2 classroom.Questionnaire is implemented as the data collection method and yields some corresponding findings based on research questions.Meanwhile,recent research on code-switching in classroom is introduced briefly.Moreover,limitations and pedagogical implication of the original research mentioned above are elaborated,as well as the implied future research is presented in this area.

Erasable/Inerasable L1 Transfer in Interlanguage Phonology:An Optimality Theory Analysis of/aʊn/and Sentence Stress in Chinese Learners of English

The areas affected by the L1 transfer to L2,such as phonotactics and stress,appear to have different degrees of erasability through training and practice.This paper attempts a theoretical analysis to account for empirical observations of L1 transfer in diphthong-coda coalescence and in sentence stress for Chinese learners of English in an American accent training course.Using the framework and tableau method of Optimality Theory(Prince and Smolensky 1993),the phonological paradigm that views languages’differences as symptomatic of differences in rankings of a set of universal violable constraints,this paper posits the underlying ranking at work in(a)the segmental case where[aŋ]is the observed output for/aʊn/;(b)the suprasegmental case where no stress contrast is observed for a pair of phonologically similar sentences with contrastive stress.It is argued that,in the segmental case,the coalescence of the second vowel of a diphthong with an alveolar nasal coda results from the high ranking of markedness constraints,including Complex Syllable;and in the suprasegmental case,sentence stress is greatly affected by changes in the ranking of the constraint culminativity.Aside from shedding light on the understudied issue of diphthong-coda coalescence,this research also contributes to the discussion of the comparative erasability of L1 transfer for the two areas and demonstrates how a deduction-based theoretical method may actually have practical implications for guiding the design of L2 teaching methodology of English pronunciation as well as for promoting native English speakers’clearer understanding of Chinese learners of English on the global stage.

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.

A Study of Effective Feedback from Teachers in the Classroom of Chinese as a Second Language

Feedback is the teacher's response and evaluation to the students'performance in class,and it is also an important part of classroom interaction.This article focuses on two aspects:the use of positive feedback and corrective feedback from teachers,aiming to explore the impact of teachers feedback behavior on teaching effect.

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.

On the Cognition of Second Language Mental Lexicon and Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language

Teaching Chinese as a foreign language is actually the teaching of Chinese as a second language by international Chinese teachers.People must learn vocabulary as a language element in the process of language acquisition.Without vocabulary,there is no language.When we master the vocabulary of a language,we rely on mental lexicon,which is vocabulary that has been stored in the brain for a long time.Through the study of second language mental lexicon,it can be used effectively,and corresponding teaching methods can be used in the vocabulary teaching of Chinese as a foreign language to help students learn Chinese quickly and effectively.

A Study on the Compilation of Dictionaries for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language Based on the Second Language Acquisition Theory

This article intends to demonstrate the principles for dictionary compilation.To summarize,general rules are to be followed.At the same time,this article probes into the differences of Chinese to Chinese dictionary,Chinese to foreign language dictionary,dictionaries for the preparation of certain exams,learner’s dictionaries for reviewing errors,dictionaries with multimedia and dictionaries built via the Internet..In all,one of the key factors for dictionary compilation is the professionalism of editors and writers.The training of the people involved is vital,which would contribute to setting up a better order of the market.Acknowledgements should also be given to achievements in dictionary compilation.Revisions and polishing are required to improve the dictionaries on the market that have already won the acclaim so as to put their influence to the best display.

Differences between the Characteristics of Adults and Children as Second/Foreign Language Learners

In this paper, the author will mainly focus on analysis about the differences between characteristics of older learners and young learners in learning second/foreign language.

Review on Learner Belief about Second Language Learning

Learner belief is attracting growing attention since it is regarded as one element of individual difference which account for learners' different achievements in second language learning. This article gives a review o studies of learner belief about second language learning concerning its properties, classifications, and majo approaches to investigation. Based on the review, the importance of the research in the field is emphasized.

Individual Learner Differences and Second Language Acquisition

Learners differ,so does their language acquisition.Studies show there are several personality factors affecting the process of language of learning.This paper attempts to indicate these factors to help learners have a better understanding of their own learning.

Critical Pedagogy and Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Chinese College Context

In the field of second language acquisition(SLA),weight has been increasingly attached to the role that a problem-pos ing model of education plays in English as second/foreign language(ES/FL)teaching and learning.By exploring various concepts of the problem-posing approach,also known as critical pedagogy,and its implications for English language teaching(ELT)in the Chinese postsecondary EFL context,the paper makes a tentative attempt to acknowledge the future directions of implementing critical pedagogy in the EFL context.Therefore,the paper is inspired by the ever-increasing popularity of the critical pedagogical approach in the ESL context.The application of critical orientation in language education derives from critical theories of the Frankfurt School,which centers on Marxist societal beliefs of struggling against social inequalities.With the concept of critical pedagogy drawing increasing attention from language educators and teachers alike in English-speaking countries;non-native English teachers who teach in the EFL context has also begun to focus their attention on the educational philosophy as a means to help transform traditional oppressed status of the Chinese EFL learners.From this perspective,this paper,by investigating the multi-dimensional implied meanings of implementing critical pedagogy in the EFL context,unraveling how it works as a way of"doing"in second language(L2)teaching and learning,identifying the probable contexts of critical pedagogy and the contesta tions surrounding critical pedagogy,aims to address the significance of implementing critical pedagogy as an effective way of re forming the ailing English education condition in China.

Exploration of the Impact of Language Proficiency on Vocabulary Association Patterns in English Language Education

This paper explores the lexical association patterns of English as a second language and their relationship with language proficiency.Through the vocabulary association test,the study analyzes the differences in vocabulary association between learners with different language levels.The participants were 100 non-native English-speaking un-dergraduate students from a top 200 university,such as the University of Nottingham,and a university outside the top 200,such as the University of Aberdeen;the two groups of learners differed in their vocabulary size and learning style.It was found that the two groups of learners differed significantly in vocabulary size,language background,and learning experience.In addition,the study raises three core questions:first,learners’lexical association patterns,second,dif-ferences in association among learners with different language proficiency levels,and third,other variables that affect vocabulary association ability.The limitations of the study are that reaction time was not measured and the influence of native language background on word association was not fully considered;future research should further explore these aspects.

Learner Autonomy in the National English Language Curricula for Chinese Universities 1978-2007:A Historical Analysis

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.

Motivation——the Major Individual Learner Difference in Second Language Learning

As one of the major individual learner differences in second language learning,motivation is frequently used to account for differential success in learning a foreign language.When comes to the definition of motivation,Ellis(2006:537) primarily defines motivation is "the effort learners were prepared to make to learn a language and their persistence in learning." According to Dornyei(2001a:8) motivation is The choice of a particular action,the persistence with it,the effort expended on it.In other words,motivation is responsible for why people decide to do something,how long they are willing to sustain the activity,how hard they are going to pursue it.

What Makes a Good Second Language Learner from the Point of Majority Language Contexts

The reason to choose this topic is because among three types of context in natural second language learning settings,majority language contexts are undoubtedly the most important type to help L2 learners enhance their proficiencies of target languages in an effective way.The first part of the paper is review of the researches that have been conducted concerning majority language contexts.From following chapters,analysis will be made on the deficiencies of L2 learning and teaching in China as well as necessities of majority language contexts.Finally,basic strategies will be proposed to help L2 learners overcome various problems in majority language contexts.

Language Learner Strategies in Second Language Teaching

Language learner strategies, which are closely associated with second language teaching, have experienced great devel?opment in the fields of theory-building and instructional practices since the 1970s. By reviewing previous research, pedagogical enlightenments can be drawn to the current English language teaching.

A Discussion of Foreign Language Listening Problems and Their Causes among Intermediate EFL learners in Chinese universities

Listening has been considered as the most important language skill by many researchers but in Chinese context it has been overlooked for years.The Foreign Language(FL)listening problems gradually reveal when students attend to the Listening Course in universities or colleges.This paper at first illustrates the importance of listening in foreign language learning and provides a discussion on the top-down and bottom-up processes with the analysis of Anderson's three-model of language comprehension[9]as well as the factors affecting listening comprehension in Foreign Language in general,aiming at the illustration of the necessity on one of the bottom-up processes-the Spoken Word Recognition(SWR).The analysis of two issued official guiding documents for Chinese university students and the current situation of English listening teaching in Chinese universities are followed,providing a general background on English listening teaching in Chinese context.Three possible foreign language listening problems and their causes are proposed,followed by the pedagogical suggestions to EFL learners who are improving their listening skills and instructors who are advancing their teaching procedures.

An Empirical Study on the Effectiveness of Language Learning Strategy Training for Chinese Adult English Learners

This paper explores how to implement effective strategy training for part-time Chinese adult English learners in a tertiary FLT （Foreign Language Teaching） classroom. Through a study of threx~ semesters during which six sessions of learner training workshops and constant, integrated task-based instruction were carried out, empirical evidence was collected via the instrument of questionnaires, interviews, learners＇ regular written reports, and the findings indicate that： （1） The students reported a statistically significant increase of the overaU average frequency of language strategy use over all SILL （The Strategy Inventory for Language Learning） items with 2.95 at the beginning and 3.61 at the end; and （2） Well-organized, explicit, and discrete leaner training workshops combined with frequent, explicit, and integrated task-based strategy instruction are an effective and helpful way to improve learners＇ awareness, selection, and frequency of strategy use, which can further foster learner autonomy.