Chinese Classrooms Research Articles

Making Teacher-Student Interaction Humorous Through Xiangsheng Techniques in the Chinese EFL Classroom

This paper aims to propose the use of Xiangsheng techniques in the Chinese EFL classroom. Many previous studies have discussed the perceptions and benefits of the use of humor in the language classroom, but there are rarely any discussions on how to initiate humor. This article summarizes 10 Xiangsheng techniques, which meant to engage teachers and students in interactions which are both interesting and humorous. It is hoped that these Xiangsheng techniques will be able to provide insights into the use of humor for those teachers who wish to use it in their language classrooms.

Time for a change in how we teach public speaking across the world: Using culturally relevant pedagogy to teach public speaking in Chinese classrooms

Courses Public Speaking, Rhetorical Criticism, Intercultural Communication. Objectives By utilizing a culturally competent Asiacentric approach to public speaking, students will be able to: (1) identify public-speaking techniques that more readily align with culturally relevant paradigms; (2) adopt a mindful approach to public speaking that takes into account multicultural audiences; and (3) deploy speech preparation and development skills that resonate with Chinese audiences.

Disciplinary Structure and Teacher Support in Chinese and Canadian Schools: Examining How Authoritative Disciplinary Practices Protect Youth Involved in Bullying at School

Bullying is a peer relational problem that can inflict psychological harm onto both those who are victimized and those who witness it occur. Fostering a positive classroom environment is an important protective factor in preventing bullying. Authoritative classroom climates may protect victimized and bystander youth from negative mental health outcomes associated with bullying involvement. The current study examined how dimensions of authoritative classrooms–disciplinary structure and teacher support – moderate the relationship between bullying involvement (e.g., victimization, witnessing) and students’ psychological functioning (e.g., psychosocial wellbeing, emotional problems). We explored how authoritative classroom climate may protect victimized and bystander youth across different cultural contexts. Multilevel regression analyses were conducted on two separate samples of youth, from China (2,395 students in grades 5-9, from 58 classrooms across 5 schools), and Canada (538 students in grades 5-8, from 31 classrooms across 5 schools). Findings indicated that both victimization and witnessing were associated with lower psychosocial wellbeing and higher levels of emotional problems among Chinese and Canadian youth. For Chinese youth, witnessing was less strongly associated with lower psychosocial wellbeing in classrooms with higher disciplinary structure. In contrast, witnessing was more strongly related to emotional problems and lower psychosocial wellbeing in Chinese classrooms with higher teacher support. Collectively, these findings suggest that bullying negatively affects the mental health of the broader school community across both Chinese and Canadian contexts. In more collectivist cultures, promoting classroom climates that regulate student’s behaviors by enforcing discipline fairly and consistently may help lower distress among students who witness bullying.

Teaching English as a lingua franca in China

The last decade has witnessed a significant increase of research on English as a lingua franca (ELF) as today's world becomes progressively more globalized (Lei & Liu, 2018). However, studies on ELF in the Chinese contexts remain sparse although linguistic research in China has kept pace with the development of international linguistic academia. Moreover, many researchers studying ELF-informed teaching in China are either non-Chinese scholars or researchers working in countries other than China (Si, 2019). In other words, this newly emerged field of research has not yet been widely embraced by Chinese scholars, nor its paradigm has been promoted in English education while traditional native-English-based teaching has been challenged and initiatives have been taken to promote English education within the ELF paradigm in many countries in the expanding circle (see e.g., Sifakis & Tsantila, 2019). In this paper, we address the issue through identifying various hindrances to teaching ELF in Chinese classroom and analyzing the factors leading to the difficulties and problems with implementing the ELF-informed teaching in Chinese context. Following this, we explore the prospects for taking advantage of the pedagogical value of ELF research in the foreseeable future.

A Probe into the Ways of Cultivating Students’ Creative Thinking in Junior Chinese Teaching

It's critical period for students in junior high school to develop creative thinking. Given the theory, we will discuss about Chinese teachers how to cultivate creative thinking in the middle school. This paper explains the connotation and importance of creative thinking, the unique advantages of Chinese classroom teaching in cultivating students' creative thinking, and the basic strategy of cultivating students' creative thinking in Chinese classroom teaching. Firstly, to clarify the basic meaning of creative thinking and its guiding role in the development of middle school students' thinking, secondly, from several basic natures of Chinese subjects to clarify the basic and important Chinese classroom for students' creative thinking training, and finally give a method to train junior high school students' creative thinking in Chinese teaching. By understanding creative thinking first, and then combining with the actual idea of cultivating creative thinking strategies, in order to seek the middle school Chinese classroom teaching to cultivate students' creative thinking effective path.

Responding to the Impact of Online Language and Building A Harmonious Chinese Classroom

With the continuous development of Internet technology, people’s communication on the Internet has become more and more frequent, which has given birth to a series of Internet languages, one of which does not conform to China’s traditional cultural concepts, which has caused problems for China’s existing Chinese teaching Great shock. Based on the actual situation of Chinese teaching, this paper analyzes the characteristics of network language and its influence on Chinese classroom teaching, and puts forward some countermeasures in order to effectively improve the quality of Chinese classroom teaching in Chinese universities.

A Brief Introduction to the Middle School Chinese Classroom Teaching under the Background of Core Literacy

A Brief Introduction to the Middle School Chinese Classroom Teaching under the Background of Core Literacy

Asking, answering and assessing with hands: how co-speech hand gestures contribute to question-initiated interactions in Chinese kindergarten classroom

ABSTRACT In teacher-fronted kindergarten classrooms, questions are an efficient strategy to attract students' attention and guide them through a lesson. However, few studies have examined the related issues by taking co-speech hand gestures into consideration. By annotating and analyzing a videotaped lesson in a Chinese public kindergarten, the present study intends to solve the following problems: (1) What types of questions are posed by the teacher? (2) What types of hand gestures co-occur with these questions and how do gestures contribute to them? (3) What are the patterns of question-initiated sequences and how do the co-occurring hand gestures function? Three types of Mandarin questions (yes-no questions, specific/content questions and positive–negative questions) and a variety of sequence patterns are seen to recur in the selected class. Meanwhile, hand gestures function in multiple ways: (1) signifying, visualizing and reproducing a propositional content (i.e. referential function), and (2) indicating an off-propositional aspect of a question, an answer or a comment (i.e. pragmatic function). This study demonstrates that analyzing extra-speech modes, and especially co-speech hand gestures, is worth both the academic efforts of linguists and practitioners of early childhood education.

Shhhh! Chinese students are studying quietly in the UK

ABSTRACT China is the leading source of international students for the UK. However, there are many differences between Chinese and UK classroom culture; for example, Chinese students may do well in tests and assignments in class, but they are very quiet and are often reluctant to speak up within the classroom environment. This silent behaviour can be a challenge to those lecturers who used to teach in a highly participative environment. The purpose of this study is to explore Chinese students’ silent behaviour and provide innovative strategies for UK higher education institutions how they can support Chinese students and improve their experience in the UK.

Learning Stories as an Assessment: A Case Study Exploring Its Local Application in China

Learning stories have been adopted as a form of assessment in early childhood education worldwide to assess children’s learning processes, learning dispositions, and well-being. However, a paucity of research has been done which examines the applicability of learning stories in China. This case study investigated how learning stories are used by in-service teachers who have had years of teaching experience in classrooms in a local Chinese context. Through analysing 43 learning stories in a kindergarten in Xiamen city, Fujian province, China, this study found that while Chinese teachers try to imitate the concept and form of learning stories from New Zealand, teacher-centered, negative, and non-targeted evaluations frequently appear in the teachers’ writing. This is opposite from the advocated practices of learning stories. Chinese teachers tend to pay more attention to the general development of the whole class, rather than individual students, as a consequence of a high teacher-to-children ratio in a traditional Chinese classroom and the educational policy in China. In addition, most learning stories produced by teachers seem to lack accessibility to both parents and children. Recommendations are provided which require a more localised, as well as contextualised, application of learning stories in Chinese context, and an improvement in the quality of learning stories noted down by kindergarten teachers.

Teacher–child Interaction and Preschoolers’ Learning Behavior in China: A Piecewise Growth Model

ABSTRACT Research Findings: This longitudinal study examined how teacher-child interaction quality related to growth in children’s approaches to learning (ATL), measured by Competence Motivation Learning Strategies, and Attention and Persistence, in a stratified random sample of 607 Chinese children. Data on classroom teacher-child interaction quality (three domains of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System: Emotional Support, Classroom Organization, and Instructional Support) and ATL were collected three times (T1, T2, and T3) across the three years of preschool. The influence of teacher-child interaction quality on children’s ATL was examined by using piecewise growth curve modeling. Findings showed that Emotional Support was significantly positively related to children’s growth of Attention and Persistence in the kindergarten year; Classroom Organization negatively predicted children’s growth of Competence Motivation and Attention and Persistence; however Instructional Support, showed no correlation with growth of any measured learning behavior. Practice or Policy: Findings are discussed within the sociocultural context of Chinese early childhood classrooms, including limitations and future research directions.

Developing entrepreneurial behaviours in the Chinese classroom through value creation pedagogy

ABSTRACT Entrepreneurship education in higher education has been actively encouraged by the Chinese government. However, entrepreneurship education using active learning methods can be at odds with traditional Chinese educational practices. Value creation pedagogy has been posited as an innovative teaching method to bridge the gap between didactic and progressive pedagogy to support entrepreneurship education across a range of students. However, there is a paucity of research into the use of value creation pedagogy and the application of novel pedagogy in the Chinese context. This research explores the views of students at a Chinese university on the value and limitations of value creation pedagogy in supporting learning and developing entrepreneurial behaviours.

The impact of air filtration units on primary school students’ indoor exposure to particulate matter in China

The air quality in classrooms is a critical factor that affects students’ daily exposure. Although air filtration units (AFUs) are often used to reduce exposure to air pollution in China, the effectiveness of installing AFUs in Chinese classrooms have not been quantitatively studied. Hence, we carried out concurrent air quality experiments in two identical classrooms where one room was equipped with commercial AFUs and the other one relied on the natural introduction of outside air. Measurements were taken during regular school days in the winter at a primary school in Hangzhou, China. Three AFU ventilation modes, i.e., fresh air, mixed air and recirculation mode were evaluated, respectively. We found that classrooms equipped with AFU showed significant PM2.5 reductions, but this was accompanied by CO2 build-ups. In classroom with AFUs on internal recirculation, nearly 70% of the PM2.5 concentration at the beginning of the class was reduced by the end of a 40-min class. However, the CO2 concentration was observed to reach levels that were six times greater than that of the ambient due to inadequate air change rate (<1 h−1). To mitigate the issue of excessive in-classroom CO2 accumulation when using AFUs, filtered outside air must be brought in during their operation. In comparison with the internal recirculation mode, we demonstrated that the fresh air mode that draws the supply air from outdoor can considerably lower CO2 build-ups in the classroom with a moderate increase in PM2.5 concentration of 15 ± 10 μg/m3. The findings from this study helps policy makers especially in developing countries with serious air pollution issues to determine whether or not to install AFU in primary schools and what ventilation mode is effective in reducing negative health effects.

Speech shadowing as a teaching technique in the CFL classroom

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to present speech shadowing (the listener’s repetition of a word, phrase or sentence immediately after hearing it) as an effective teaching technique. Shadowing has been practiced in English classes in Japan for decades and many studies have confirmed its effectiveness for improving learners’ listening comprehension and pronunciation skills. Even though some studies have already indicated that this technique is successfully used in teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) (Zajdler &amp; Chu 2019), its potential has not been widely utilized in the Chinese classroom in Poland. Thus, the present paper will first discuss the auditory and cognitive underpinnings of shadowing, then a classification of the types of shadowing will be proposed. Finally, practical aspects of shadowing as an effective in-class CFL teaching technique will be presented.

Corrective feedback and learner uptake in American ESL and Chinese EFL classrooms: A comparative study

ABSTRACT Instructional context plays a crucial role in the learning of a second/foreign language. The present study compared the occurrence of corrective feedback (CF) and learner uptake across two instructional contexts at the tertiary level: English as a second language (ESL) in the US and English as a foreign language (EFL) in China. Analysis of 36 h of observation data showed that (1) recast was the most preferred feedback type in both settings, but with a much higher percentage in the EFL lessons than in the ESL lessons; (2) the distribution of CF was similar in terms of emphasis but was significantly different in terms of linguistic focus; and (3) the overall frequencies of uptake and repair were close between the two settings, but the rates of uptake and repair following explicit correction were significantly higher in the EFL lessons than in the ESL lessons. These findings suggest that although teacher-student interactions across ESL and EFL settings demonstrate a common trend, CF and uptake are not context-free.

Multiple Approaches for Assessing Within-Day Stability in Teacher-Child Interactions

ABSTRACT Research Findings: This study employed multiple approaches to examine the stability of teacher–child interaction quality in Chinese preschools. Teacher–child interaction quality was measured using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) on five observational cycles within a school day. Several different metrics of stability were examined: (1) standard deviation; (2) correlation; (3) measurement invariance; (4) mean-level change, and (5) state–trait framework. Overall, results suggested that children in Chinese classrooms experienced the same facets of quality as measured by the CLASS as has been found in other countries. Furthermore, results indicated consistent quality levels of Emotional Support and Classroom Organization, and relatively inconsistent quality levels of Instructional Support within a school day. Practice or Policy: Building on previous work, this study contributed to the field by enhancing our understanding related to the dynamics of within-day variability of teacher-child interaction quality. Chinese teachers could benefit from evidence-based professional development guided by the CLASS framework. Tools such as the CLASS could be used to guide teachers to improve their instructional interactions in both quality level and stability.

The dimensions and functions of students’ achievement emotions in Chinese chemistry classrooms

ABSTRACTResearch points to the important role achievement emotions play in academic performance and career choices, yet few studies have examined achievement emotions in non-Western contexts. The current study extends this research base by examining students’ achievement emotions among 103 eleventh-grade high school chemistry students in China. Using exploratory factor analysis and path analysis, we examined the dimensions of achievement emotions and tested a model in which achievement emotions mediated the relationship between chemistry self-efficacy and classroom engagement. Exploratory factor analysis indicated two distinct factors: positive emotions and shame. Path analysis showed that positive emotions partially mediated the effect of chemistry self-efficacy on classroom engagement. Chemistry self-efficacy was also negatively associated with shame. Findings are discussed in light of the role of Chinese culture in influencing the dimensions and functions of achievement emotions with implications for developing engaging classroom learning environments.

Blending Constructivism and Instructivism: A Study of Classroom Dialogue in Singapore Kindergartens

ABSTRACT The Singapore government has launched kindergarten curriculum reform since 2003 to promote constructivism in teaching and learning, which seems to contradict the traditional pedagogy. Using video analysis, we examined the actual classroom dialogue in six Chinese language classrooms to understand to what extent the constructivist pedagogy has been implemented in Singapore kindergartens. Evidence indicated the classroom dialogs in the Singapore kindergartens were knowledge-driven and teacher-directed, which is per se instructivism-based. The findings call for a further reflection on the progressive early childhood education reforms and the enhancement of professional support for early childhood teachers in Singapore and other similar contexts.

Danping Wang: Multilingualism and Translanguaging in Chinese Language Classrooms

Danping Wang: Multilingualism and Translanguaging in Chinese Language Classrooms

Identity Negotiation in Chinese University English Classroom

Through a theoretical framework that builds on the Community of Practice construct and the concepts of identity negotiation, imagined identity and investment, this case study examines how one English-as-a-foreign-language student negotiated the identity as an English learner in the Chinese university classroom setting. Then the extent that the student’s oral communication behaviors in the English classroom community were influenced by the negotiated identity is presented. The analysis shows that a student may have multiple identities in the educational setting. By constantly shifting identities in the English learning process, the focal student struggled with the English learner identity perceived by herself and that identified by her English teacher. As a result, the student’s investment in English class oral tasks and communication behaviors in EFL classroom may change with the shift of identities. Suggestions are made for EFL teachers to help students construct desirable identities in order to improve their involvement in English class oral communication activities.