Chinese Learners Research Articles

Unpacking EFL learners’ emotions and emotion-regulation strategies in digital collaborative academic reading projects: An integrated approach of vignette methodology and interview analysis

This study explored the manifestation of multifaceted emotions, sources of emotions, and emotion regulation strategies of college EFL learners participating in digital collaborative academic reading projects. Data were collected through a vignette-based survey that was comprised of 19 episodes of authentic emotion-inducing scenarios among 72 Chinese EFL learners, supplemented by semi-structured interviews with 16 participants. While the results showed a relatively balanced distribution of positive and negative emotions, anxiety, nervousness, and happiness were found to be the top three most commonly experienced emotions. The study identified three sources of positive emotions including topic interest, experiencing mastery and achievement, and recognition from other groups. The findings also revealed factors inducing negative emotions in digital collaborative academic reading: reading difficulties, challenges in interacting with group members, low-quality feedback from external groups, online learning environment and technology issues, and time pressure. Furthermore, the study extended the literature on emotion regulation by developing a comprehensive taxonomy of six categories of strategies (i.e., co-regulation, cognitive change, response regulation, attention deployment, task-related regulation, and situation modification) tailored to the context of digital collaborative academic reading. These findings can offer practical guidance for enhancing social-emotional interactions in technology-enhanced collaborative academic reading.

Implementing discourse-gating tasks to study the timing of speech act recognition

This paper presents the development of two novel discourse-gating tasks to investigate the processing of pragmatic information, namely, the timing of the recognition of genuine (sincere) and ostensible (transparently insincere) refusals in Chinese and provides preliminary validity evidence for the tasks. Gating tasks were introduced to investigate spoken word recognition and have been successfully extended to spoken language processing, most notably sentences. Following Grosjean's (1996) observation that gating tasks could be used to investigate a variety of linguistic features, we extended the gating tasks to spoken discourse using turns as gates. The open-prediction gating task allows participants to make a single prediction about the outcome of each of 12 recorded conversations as soon as they can. The fixed-prediction gating task asks participants to make predictions at regular intervals while listening to a second set of 12 conversations. One hundred and seven participants (60 L1 speakers and 47 third- and fourth-year learners of Chinese) were recruited to test the tasks. The tasks reveal a lag in speech-act identification not found when retrospective speech-act identification tasks are used. The fixed-prediction task additionally reveals alternatives that are considered during processing. The paper discusses the benefits of the discourse gating tasks and the merits of each, the quantitative and qualitative evidence for the tasks, and future directions for discourse gating tasks.

A refined and concise model of indices for quantitatively measuring lexical richness of Chinese university students’ EFL writing

In the existing literature, scholars have proposed various indices to measure the lexical richness (LR) of English as a foreign language (EFL) writing. However, there are currently issues of redundant indices and inconsistent usage. Attempting to address the research question of which indices are the most sensitive and effective ones to distinguish between different grade levels of Chinese university students’ EFL writing, this study aims to put forward a refined and concise model of indices that can truthfully reflect LR in EFL writing. A total of 180 compositions were selected from a Chinese EFL learner corpus: <i>Spoken and written English corpus of Chinese learners</i>. Scores of 28 LR indices of these compositions were computed using the software <i>Lexical Complexity Analyzer</i>,<i> MATTR</i>,<i> </i>and<i> Coh-Metrix</i>. One-way ANOVA or Welch’s ANOVA, depending on the variable’s homogeneity of variances, was conducted for each index. Two criteria were applied to determine which index of a measure should be included in the refined model: whether the difference of an index is significant among different grade levels and the effect size of ANOVA. Based on the quantitative results of ANOVAs and qualitative human judgment based on literature, six indices of the six LR measures were included in the refined model: lexical density, lexical sophistication-I, verb sophistication-II, number of different words-expected sequence 50, corrected TTR, and squared verb variation-I. This refined model addresses the issues of redundancy and inconsistency in previous studies, providing a more accurate and efficient tool for assessing LR in EFL writing.

Effects of Task Complexity on Chinese EFL Learners’ Language Production in Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication

Effects of Task Complexity on Chinese EFL Learners’ Language Production in Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication

Foreign Language Enjoyment and Anxiety of Chinese EFL Learners at the Tertiary Level: A Pseudo-Longitudinal Investigation

Foreign Language Enjoyment and Anxiety of Chinese EFL Learners at the Tertiary Level: A Pseudo-Longitudinal Investigation

Modeling relationships among large-grained, fine-grained absolute syntactic complexity and assessed L2 writing quality: An SEM approach

The current study investigated the relationships among large-grained and fine-grained aspects of absolute syntactic complexity (SC) and expert-assessed writing quality of 446 argumentative writing samples of college-level Chinese EFL learners. Computational indices tapping into large-grained and fine-grained aspects of absolute SC were computed by TAASSC and L2SCA. Drawing upon rigorous SEM analyses, this paper demonstrated the utility of computational indices that tap into absolute SC. Overall, the measurements of absolute SC accounted for 42 % of the variance in human-judged overall writing scores. The results revealed that (1) noun phrase (NP) complexity was the underlying cause that determined trained raters’ judgement on argumentative writing quality; (2) among traditional large-grained indices, MLC, CN/C, and CN/T, were dependable metrics in representing SC and predicting writing quality; (3) among fine-grained indices, prepositional phrases and relative clauses as noun modifiers were prominent in representing NP complexity; (4) relative clause and adjectival modifiers had unique and complementary effects to large-grained NP complexity in affording explanations for human judgement; (5) the use of prepositions in NP was the most prominent contributor to the increase of large-grained NP complexity among the noun phrase modifiers in this specific corpus. Situated in previous research, the results provide an opportunity to evaluate L2 writing within the theoretical framework of absolute syntactic complexity.

Uses of the Light Verb GET in Chinese EFL Learners’ and English L1 Undergraduates’ Writing: A Corpus-Pattern-Analysis-Based Investigation

Uses of the Light Verb <i>GET</i> in Chinese EFL Learners’ and English L1 Undergraduates’ Writing: A Corpus-Pattern-Analysis-Based Investigation

Interface Design and Functional Optimization of Chinese Learning Apps Based on User Experience

This research paper investigates the interface design and functional optimization of Chinese learning apps through the lens of user experience. With the increasing popularity of Chinese language learning apps in the era of rapid mobile internet development, users' demands for enhanced interface design and interaction experience have grown significantly. The study aims to explore the influence of user feedback on the design and functionality of Chinese learning apps, proposing optimization strategies to improve user experience and learning outcomes. By conducting a comprehensive literature review, utilizing methods such as surveys and user interviews for data collection, and analyzing user feedback, this research identifies existing issues in the interface design and interaction experience of Chinese learning apps. The results present user opinions, feedback analysis, identified problems, improvement directions, and specific optimization strategies. The study discusses the potential impact of these optimization strategies on enhancing user experience and learning outcomes, compares findings with previous research, addresses limitations, and suggests future research directions. In conclusion, this research contributes to enriching the design theory of Chinese learning apps, offering practical optimization recommendations for developers, and supporting the continuous advancement of Chinese language learning apps.

Lexico-grammatical Features of Online Essay Writings Among Chinese EFL Learners

This linguistic study investigates the lexico-grammatical features of Chinese EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners’ argumentative essays. The study utilizes corpus linguistic methods and natural language processing tools to analyze 1460 writing samples from an online learner corpus. Variations in linguistic complexity and sophistication of clause, phrase, and syntactic sophistication across different proficiency levels were examined using AntConc, Multidimensional Analysis Tagger, and TAASSC. The results indicate significant variances in lexico-grammatical complexity and sophistication features between low and high proficiency levels. The study revealed that proficiency levels of EFL learners had varying effects on clausal complexity, phrasal complexity, and syntactic sophistication. The study also identifies limitations in the natural language processing tool used for extracting target indices in argumentative essays. Overall, these findings have implications for EFL teaching, learning, and assessment, and for improving NLP tools.

LEARNING CHINESE THROUGH ENGLISH: TRANSLANGUAGING REALITY IN INDONESIAN HIGHER EDUCATION CFL CLASSROOM

LEARNING CHINESE THROUGH ENGLISH: TRANSLANGUAGING REALITY IN INDONESIAN HIGHER EDUCATION CFL CLASSROOM

Cross-linguistic perception of Spanish intonation by Chinese speakers: Effects of linguistic experience and prosodic features

This study aims to explore the cross-linguistic perception of Spanish intonation patterns and the role of linguistic experience and prosodic features in identifying the question-statement contrasts. To this end, 43 Spanish native listeners and 75 Chinese learners of Spanish were presented with auditory stimuli in a gating paradigm for the recognition of sentence types. The results showed that listeners’ perception of target intonational contours was highly dependent on their language experience. Although Spanish listeners outperformed Chinese learners in perceiving different intonational cues, most Chinese learners were able to correctly identify sentence types after hearing the initial F0 peak due to the positive transfer of their tonal processing ability in their native language. In addition, our data revealed that the position of the final stressed syllable might also be a relevant factor for discriminating the sentence type depending on the length of the utterance. Overall, the findings seem to suggest a complex integration mechanism for cross-linguistic intonation perception, in which listeners’ language specificity and the prosodic structures of the materials should be accounted for evaluating non-native auditory performance.

The role of mindfulness on the relation between critical thinking and well-being of Chinese EFL learners

Critical thinking has been defined as one of the abilities that the Chinese EFL learners require to become skillful in the 21st century. Furthermore, recent investigations have indicated that Positive Psychology (PP) and strengths have a pivotal impact on students, and among the related issues of PP, well-being plays a great role in this process. Additionally, mindfulness as one of the language learner's mental characteristics is a strategy that has been revealed to have a positive influence when applied as a management strategy against stress. So the present study aimed to explore whether mindfulness could play a mediating role in the relationship between critical thinking and well-being. For this purpose, 360 Chinese EFL students were recruited to take part in this study to fill out questionnaires on mindfulness, well-being, and critical thinking. At that point, the structural equation modeling utilizing the pwrSEM program statistical package was used to reveal their possible connections. Results indicated that critical thinking has a positive influence on well-being through mindfulness. Overall, mindfulness's main role in this field has been identified and based on the present findings, some suggestions have been made.

Perceived teacher autonomy support and grit as predictors of ideal L2 self among Chinese EFL learners

Although some research attention has been given to second language (L2) affective and emotion constructs recently, this research agenda is still in its infancy. In an attempt to shed more light on this area, the present researchers tested a structural model of ideal L2 self in which perceived teacher autonomy support and L2 grit served as predictors. For this purpose, 346 Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) learners were requested to participate in an electronic survey. The collected data were analyzed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The construct validity of the used scales was verified by performing confirmatory factor analysis. The SEM results indicated that although both perceived teacher autonomy support and L2 grit significantly predicted the ideal L2 self, the former was a more powerful predictor in the final fit model. Additionally, it was revealed that perceived autonomy support had a slight effect on EFL learners’ grit levels. The outcomes of this study can have implications for research and practice.

Linguistic Distance, Language Anxiety, and Coping Strategies: A Comparative Study of Chinese and Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners in Classroom Settings

Linguistic Distance, Language Anxiety, and Coping Strategies: A Comparative Study of Chinese and Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners in Classroom Settings

The Relationship between Perceived Teacher Emotional Support, Online Academic Burnout, Academic Self-Efficacy, and Online English Academic Engagement of Chinese EFL Learners

This study explores the impact of college students’ perceived teacher emotional support on English academic engagement in technology-enhanced online learning contexts. It examined whether 450 Chinese students’ perceptions of teacher emotional support were related to students’ English academic engagement and mediated by students’ online academic burnout and academic self-efficacy. All of the sample students were recruited to complete an online questionnaire, and some students and teachers were invited to do a semi-structured interview. SPSS24 and PROCESS3.5 macro were utilized to undertake the descriptive, correlational, and mediation analyses. The findings showed that teachers’ perceived emotional support and student academic efficacy positively affect students’ online English academic engagement. In contrast, online academic burnout negatively affects students’ online English academic engagement. Student academic efficacy partially mediated the effects of perceived teacher emotional support and student academic engagement in online learning contexts. The interviews confirmed the findings, and the influences and roles of teachers’ emotional support were described in terms of teacher and student dimensions in an interview. Directions and further implications for researchers, teachers, and educators are presented at the end of the study.

The Use of Semi-automatic Annotation in Speech Acts Performed by Learners of English

Since rare research studied speech acts (SAs) from a macro perspective, this study used a semi-automatic annotation tool named Dialogue Annotation and Research Tool (DART) to examine the most frequently performed SAs by Chinese and Thai learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). It also attempted to reveal the reasons for the similarities and differences in the SA performances of EFL learners from discrete linguacultural backgrounds. This study involved 30 Chinese and 30 Thai EFL learners, totaling 60 participants. A total of 30 dyadic English interlanguage conversations were collected for this study. The learner corpus research with the contrastive interlanguage analysis was adopted for the analysis. The DART annotation revealed that both Chinese and Thai EFL learners most frequently performed the same six SAs. These SAs were labeled by DART as state, hesitate, reqInfo, answer, expressOpinion, and stateReason. Of the six listed SAs, both Chinese and Thai EFL learners most frequently performed the SA labeled state; both cohorts also presented the SA stateReason least often. Task requirements, the frequent use of certain types of formulaic language, and English proficiency levels were ascertained as factors causing the identical presentation of the six identified SAs. The English proficiency levels of Chinese EFL learners were determined as the principal reason for their discrete performance of SAs. Conversely, the influence of the Thai linguacultural background denoted the primary factor for discrepancies in the SA performance of Thai EFL learners.

Translanguaging in digital picturebook reading: a sociomaterial perspective

ABSTRACT This ethnographic case study investigates how a young rural Chinese EAL learner engages in a translanguaging process as she reads a digital and multilingual Cinderella picturebook in her home. It documents wide-ranging translanguaging relations dynamically formed among this learner, the researcher as a reading partner, and a myriad of nonhuman materials (modes, languages, tablet, software, time, space, etc.). Accordingly, the current research adopts a sociomaterial approach to examine language and literacy learning environments in terms of social and material dynamics. A sociomaterial perspective on translanguaging expands the researcher’s gaze from looking only at individual actions or social interactions in translanguaging practices to consider how nonhumans also constitute and affect these practices as active agents.

Topical Issues of Methods of Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language in Russian Universities

The article discusses problematic issues that arise when studying Chinese at Russian universities. An assessment of the applicable techniques and the current state of their effectiveness are given. In addition, data from a sociological study are presented. Promising methods are also considered that will improve the quality of teaching and adaptation of Russian-speaking students when teaching Chinese. The author revealed that studying the Chinese language is one of the priority language areas of education in Russia. This is due to the emerging economic and political realities. In the context of actively developing cooperation between Russia and China, there is a need for professionals who speak Chinese to ensure communication. This applies to both business and government spheres. That is why the growing need for learning Chinese has increased significantly compared to the previous year. In many ways, Chinese replaces English. Hence, many Russian universities adapt their curricula and include the study of the Chinese language in them. At the same time, this activity in many non-linguistic educational institutions is at the initial stage. Current norms and Federal State Educational Standards do not imply blanket language learning, but the ability to apply it in real situations. At the same time, learning the Chinese language is significantly different from learning other foreign languages due to its characteristics. In addition, the psychological component associated with the transition to a different type of formation of language skills and language perception is important. The purpose of the article is to identify current issues in the methodology of teaching Chinese as a foreign language in Russian universities. Methodology. The current methodology of teaching Chinese as a foreign language in Russian universities was tested using the method of sociological research. The results of the study showed that there are a number of problematic issues in teaching work in the field of teaching Chinese.

The enactment of positive emotions via teacher scaffolding: The case of Chinese high school EFL learners’ engagement with teacher written feedback

With the flourishing of positive psychology, there is a heightened emphasis on the value and significance of engagement. Although recent years have witnessed the growing interest in learner engagement with feedback in L2 writing, little attention has been towards understanding the role of teachers in fostering their students' engagement. To fill this gap, our exploratory study examined the effects of teacher scaffolding on EFL learners' engagement with teacher written feedback. Anchored in a high school in mainland China, our study employed a mixed-methods design, collecting data from multiple sources (i.e., questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, teacher written feedback, and first as well as revised writing samples) over a semester. The findings revealed that the teacher adhered to the key tenets of positive psychology and implemented positive pedagogical practices to facilitate students’ revision. Both quantitative and qualitative data showed that with teacher scaffolding Chinese high school EFL learners actively engaged with teacher written feedback from affective, behavioral, and cognitive perspectives. Our study concludes with the important pedagogical implications.

Exploring Factors Influencing Student Attitudes and Satisfaction with Mobile Translation Applications in Learning Chinese as a Foreign Language

Exploring Factors Influencing Student Attitudes and Satisfaction with Mobile Translation Applications in Learning Chinese as a Foreign Language