Digital Curation of Online Resources among English Learners at Chinese Universities

Abstract

Abstract Moving beyond the ‘digital native’ rhetoric, this paper investigates what Chinese undergraduates are actually doing with online resources to learn English outside the classroom. Particular attention is paid to their dealing and managing online resources in their English learning context. A sociocultural framework is adopted to understand learners’ behaviours surrounding digital technology. This theoretical position guides the exploration into the contextually mediated choices and practices of English learners in the information-rich age. Data collection for this study includes semi-structured interviews with 49 undergraduates from two large Chinese universities. The data demonstrate that when it comes to digital curations of English learning resources, learners personalize online data and build towards a digital library. Yet, many online resources were rashly disposed and consumed. More importantly, the ways that learners deal with digital information and resources are largely shaped by their context of language learning. In light of the above, the paper goes on to consider the number of contextual factors that appear to constrain learners’ curation of online learning resources – not least the cultural artefact of examination and the existing beliefs about language learning.