Research Nexus and Implications of Learner Identity in Foreign Language Education

One of the most obvious markers of an individual’s identity is their language.However,in some ways,the relationship between identity and language acquisition seems to be missed.In fact,a lot of studies have shown that identity may influence the reasons behind language acquisition,especially in bilingual or multilingual societies.Learning English can provide EFL(English as a Foreign Language)students with a good sense of identity and encourage them to practice their agency,which can improve learning efficiency and effectiveness.This paper examines how the efficacy and results of language learning are influenced by the learner’s identity.

The Situation, Policies, and Development of Foreign Language Education in Contemporary China

Foreign language education is an important part of Chinese education,but the overall foreign language education in China is still relatively underdeveloped.Foreign language education and policies in contemporary China are closely related to China’s political,economic,and social development.The contemporary Chinese foreign language education and policies,since the establishment of New China in 1949,can be divided into four periods.The first period is a period of domination by the Russian language(1949–1956),the second period is a period of exploration and transformation(1956–1966),the third period is a period of interruption(1966–1978),and the fourth period is a period of development and improvement(1978 to present).Understanding foreign language education and policies in contemporary Chinese universities can contribute to the future development of foreign language education and policies in China.

A Comparative Study of the Value Orientations of Foreign Language Education Policies in China and the United States in the 21st Century

Since the 21 st century, both Chinese Mainland and the United States have formulated foreign language education policiesbased on their national needs. This paper makes a comparative study of the value orientations of foreign language education poli-cies in Chinese Mainland and the United States in the 21 st century and finds that both China and the United States have regardedtheir national interests as the essential value orientation of their foreign language education policies. To be specific,the core valueorientation of foreign language education policies in China is to enhance its cultural soft power.In contrast,the core value orienta-tion of foreign language education policies in the United States is to safeguard its national security. Through the comparison of thedifferent value orientations of foreign language education policies of the two countries, the paper provides some reference for the for-eign language education policy-making in Chinese Mainland.

Reflections on Foreign Language Education Policy Reform in China Under the Background of“One Belt and One Road”Initiative

The initiative of“One Belt and One Road”is an important development strategy under the new normal economic background of China,and foreign economic development relies heavily on foreign language talents of the nation.However,the current foreign language education in China has faced problems from a shortage of compound foreign language talents,inadequacy of foreign languages offered,and imbalanced regional development.Given that the initiative has higher requirements for cultivating foreign language talents,we hold that China’s current foreign language education policy may reform from conducting theoretical studies of foreign language teaching,offering more foreign languages and enhancing professional development of teachers.Conversely,China’s foreign language talents can contribute more to the effective and smooth implementation of the“One Belt and One Road”initiative.

Native-speakerism in China:An Investigation of Foreign Language Education Policy and Learners’Attitudes

With the development of globalization,the use of English is no longer restricted to native speaker(NS)but also widely spread to non-native speaker(NNS).The importance of English learning is also acknowledged by Expanding and Outer Circle,and English as a foreign language(EFL)education plays a significant role in China’s education.Admitting the fact that non-native English teachers(NNESTs)take up a large proportion of English teachers,English language teaching(ELT)is still greatly influenced by native-speakerism.This research aims to investigate language ideologies reflected in Chinese foreign language education policy(FLEP)at higher education level,and Chinese English learners’attitudes towards native-speakerism and English teachers.A mixed method of policy analysis and survey is adopted in this research.After conducting analysing two FLEPs in higher education level,it is found that linguistic instrumentalism is the prominent language ideology,although native-speakerism and standard English ideology is implicitly demonstrated.Questionnaire is used to investigate 58 Chinese English learners’attitudes,revealing that most participants do not demonstrate bias towards either NESTs or NNESTs.Instead,the strengths and weaknesses of both NEST and NNEST are identified,though participants adhere to native-speakerism in terms of English variety.Overall,English learner’s attitudes are consistent with language ideologies in FLEPs.This research may provide implications for future studies on addressing native-speakerism in Chinese FLEPs,as well as relationship of students’attitudes and language policies.

A Citespace Analysis of International Studies on Romanian Foreign Language Education Reform in Universities

Given the institutional similarities between Romania and China in history,its experience in the field of foreign language education reform in colleges and universities can be used for reference in the reform of foreign language teaching of higher education in China.With the help of Citespace,this paper presents a visual statistical analysis of 47 SSCI international journal articles on foreign language reform in Romanian universities and gives some suggestions on foreign language education reform in Chinese universities from four aspects:teaching environment,content,technology and cooperation.

On Foreign Language Education Reform in America from the White Paper The Teachers We Need

With the further moving of globalization,language is not only a tool to express ideas but also a soft and hard power for a nation's development.Through probing into the white paper published recently The Teachers We Need,we have got much more information on U.S.foreign language education reform.Meanwhile,it provides Chinese researchers some references for the grounding research on language functions and language teachers' career development.

Development of International Chinese Language Education in Iran:An Analysis in the Context of Iran’s Foreign Language Policy Characteristics

This paper focuses on examining the relevant policies concerning Chinese language education within Iran’s foreign language education policy framework from the perspective of its historical context.By analyzing the characteristics of Iran’s foreign language policy and the current situation of Chinese language teaching in Iran,this paper studies the future development of international Chinese language education in Iran.

Towards Innovative Research Approaches to Investigating the Role of Emotional Variables in Promoting Language Teachers’ and Learners’ Mental Health

The adequacy of language education largely depends on the favorable and unfavorable emotions that teachers and students experience throughout the education process.Simply said,emotional factors play a key role in improving the quality of language teaching and learning.Furthermore,these emotional factors also promote the well-being of language teachers and learners and place them in a suitable mental condition.In view of the favorable impact of emotional factors on the mental health of language teachers and learners,many educational scholars around the world have studied these factors,their background,and their pedagogical consequences.Nonetheless,the majority of previous studies have employed traditional research methods in assessing these variables and their influences on language teachers’and learners’mental health.Because of the complex and dynamic quality of emotional factors,traditional research approaches often fail to evaluate these factors and their dynamic,non-linear connections with teachers’and learners’mental health and well-being.Accordingly,some novel research approaches are required to measure the dynamicity and complexity of emotional factors in language education settings.To address this call,the current state-of-the-art conceptual article seeks to provide new insights for investigating emotional factors and their potential impact on language teachers’and learners’mental states.This study also intends to offer a comprehensive list of emerging methods that take into account the complex and dynamic nature of emotional variables.Finally,the study outlines the potential implications of this review for educational researchers.

Mobile Assisted Chinese Learning as a Foreign Language:An Overview of Publications between 2007 and 2019

This paper presents a critical overview of studies on mobile assisted language learning(MALL)in teaching Chinese as a foreign language(CFL)during the period 2007−2019.In the review,keyword and reference searches were conducted to identify and select empirical studies during the review period.Thematic and frequency analyses were employed on the data.This identified methodological trends and research outcomes in the reviewed studies.As shown in the results,most of the reviewed studies used qualitative methods to examine the effect of mobile CFL learning on formal learning in higher education settings.These studies document the positive impact that mobile technology has on CFL learning.Their attention is primarily on the use of mobile learning in Chinese vocabulary acquisition,language skill development and mobile seamless learning.Suggestions are provided for further research to support continuous mobile assisted CFL teaching and learning.

Review of Research on Learning and Instruction with Specific Reference to Reading Chinese as an Additional Language(1976−2018)

This review,which can be seen as a scoping review,highlights 92 empirical studies about the learning and instruction of reading Chinese as an additional language(CAL)published in English between 1976 and 2018.It first identifies and evaluates the trends of CAL reading research over the past four decades,including the developmental trajectory of the field,topics that are hot versus those not-so-hot,populations that are widely studied versus under studied,research methods adopted in the selected studies,and the most widely cited articles.Second,the review examines direct evidence that supports effective practices of CAL reading instruction and explores two tracks of studies:high-evidence versus low-evidence practices.This review concludes with thoughts on the future directions of CAL reading research inspired by trends in the areas of literacy,second language acquisition(SLA),and teaching Chinese as a second/foreign language(TSCL/TCFL).To be specific,there is a need for the field to pay equal attention to learning to read and reading to learn.