Researching the use of WebCT in Chinese language teaching and learning

Abstract

This dissertation aims to fill the void in the literature on Chinese language pedagogy, research of technology use in real language classrooms, and research on heritage learners. The major goal of the research was to investigate diverse learners’, especially the heritage learners’, needs in order to identify well-grounded pedagogical innovations and desired learning outcomes in technology-integrated Chinese language classrooms. Adopting multiple theoretical frameworks and research methods, the three research articles included in this dissertation were designed to ensure that the learners, tools, and learning tasks were investigated in order to present a comprehensive and systematic look at the design, implementation, and evaluation of the use of Chinese WebCT in college-level Chinese language classes mixed with heritage and non-heritage learners in a U.S. Midwest university. Chapter 2, “The Teaching of Chinese to Chinese Americans: A Critical Multicultural Approach,” reports on an ethnographic study of six American-born Chinese (ABC) heritage learners, presenting a portrait of these learners and their learning experiences in this Whitedominated university. This study also indicates the complexities of the education of heritage learners in such a context. The WebCT online learning environment is seen to provide a useful venue to research heritage learners’ learning needs, process, knowledge-sharing and construction, and identity negotiation and development. Chapter 3, “Students’ Attention to Form in Different Dimensions of Interaction in Chinese WebCT,” addresses a learner-centered issue, focus on form (FonF), and its impact on the pedagogical practices in blended Chinese language classes. This study sheds light on Chinese classroom instruction because focus on form itself challenges the traditional mindset of Chinese teachers who tend to assume an authoritative role in the classroom and depend on