Universities In Mainland China Research Articles

Study on computer-based systematic foreign language vocabulary teaching

Since ineffective FL vocabulary teaching has been currently shown in the higher education of Mainland China, this study aims to achieve a satisfactory vocabulary teaching outcome through the construction of a systematic computer-based vocabulary teaching mode. Based on constructivism, the mode was established with three essential teaching phases, which were incorporated with systematic cognitive processes of vocabulary learning, supported by appropriate vocabulary teaching strategies, and also facilitated by computer technologies. To illustrate its efficacy, altogether 58 non-English major undergraduate students in two classes were selected randomly from a university in Mainland China. The participants were divided into two groups by class, which were taught target words under the computer-based systematic vocabulary teaching mode and the traditional paper-based one, respectively. Under the traditional mode, the same teacher adopted the teaching methods as they had normally done in the past, such as rote memorization and mechanical practice mainly with paper-based materials. Through the achievement comparisons, it was ultimately revealed that the systematic computer-based vocabulary teaching mode was superior to the traditional with a detectable difference either immediately after or one month after the treatment. The significance was further reinforced by the results from a questionnaire survey conducted among the group taught under the systematic computer-based vocabulary teaching mode.

The Impact of Peer Feedback on L2 Literature Review Writing: A Mixed Methods Study

Research on how peer feedback affects second language (L2) writing in higher education has been limited. This study examines the impact of peer feedback on revision and literature review writing in learners of Chinese as an L2 at a university in mainland China. The study analyzed feedback, revisions, and writing performance of 30 students. The quantitative analysis revealed that revision-oriented feedback had significantly positive effects on revision. Adopted-feedback-revision explained the gain score in the writing performance. The qualitative text analysis demonstrated that students paid unbalanced attention to the genre-specific characteristics of the literature review and the concreteness varied accordingly. Students valued peer feedback for improving comprehension, thinking skills, and audience awareness, especially when it identified issues with specific revision suggestions. This study contributes to the field by addressing how Chinese language learners benefited from peer feedback when writing literature review in higher education, which also has practical implications.

Typological classification of attitudes toward premarital sexual behavior among Chinese undergraduates

BackgroundPremarital sexual behavior (PSB) is a controversial topic in China. However, in recent times, changes in attitudes have led to PSB being more common among college students. This study investigated the attitudes of Chinese undergraduates toward PSB to identify whether a typological classification exists among them.MethodsA total of 278 undergraduate students from two public universities in Mainland China completed a 17-item survey that included five dimensions( emotions, responsiveness, sexual health, sexual freedom, and condemnation) on attitudes toward PSB. Data were collected online from April 2023 to July 2023.ResultsThe PSB questionnaire demonstrated good reliability and construct validity in this study, with a Cronbach’s α of 0.759 and a KMO value of 0.769. Meanwhile, a series of models were estimated specifying one through five latent classes and three typologies on the attitude were identified: “Affective,”“Avoidant,” and “Open.” After the best fitting model was determined, multiple analysis of variance testing of different factors such as gender, year of study and where one came from were found to have significant effects on attitude complexity (p < .01).ConclusionThis research will contribute to the dissemination of information on PSB in China, which will be helpful in understanding relevant issues associated with PSB.

Examination of the validity of the Chinese version of the Language Mindsets Inventory among Chinese university students.

With the growing interest in the psychological basis of language learning, this study aims to validate the Chinese version of the Language Mindset Inventory (LMI) among Chinese university students. A sample of 476 students from various universities in mainland China was used. The translation process followed the forward-backward method. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were conducted to evaluate the factor structure. The internal consistency of the LMI was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, and convergent validity was examined through correlations with established mindset measures. Compared with the one-factor model, the two-factor model which distinguishes between fixed and growth mindsets, showed an acceptable and better fit index. The overall Cronbach's alpha for the full scale was 0.954, with 0.929 for the fixed mindset dimension and 0.903 for the growth mindset dimension. AVE values for the fixed and growth dimensions were 0.597 and 0.510, respectively. Correlations showed that the growth mindset dimension was significantly positively associated with the 8-Item Growth Mindset Scale (r = 0.186, p < 0.01) and the Mindset Scale for Learning English (r = 0.149, p < 0.01), while the fixed mindset dimension was negatively associated with both scales (r = -0.228 and r = -0.169, p < 0.01). This study confirms the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the LMI, making it a relevant tool for assessing language learning mindsets among Chinese university students. The findings support the integration of LMI into educational strategies to promote resilience and adaptability, enhancing language education outcomes.

The intersection of Chineseness and internationalism among Chinese millennials at an EMI university

Abstract This study investigates Chineseness and internationalism through the naming practices of young Chinese learners’ at EMI universities. Investigating the participants’ use of their English/Chinese names in their immediate study environment to start, our study delves into issues related to who can be defined as Chinese, what Chineseness involves, and its intersection with internationalism. A questionnaire was distributed at a Sino-British university in mainland China and a pre-sessional course in the UK via email in 2019. Data from the 357 questionnaire responses was followed by nine randomly selected respondents who were invited for semi-structured interviews. The data was coded using NVivo 10 and thematic analysis was utilized to understand the key themes. The study found rising confidence among the participants, represented by a rejection of the association between internationalism and westernisation. The participants proffered Chineseness as equal claims to internationalism as western culture, albeit being a continuing site of struggle and confrontation. Further, a distinctive ‘Chinese way of thinking’ is a key marker of Chinese identity, which alludes to an essentialist Chineseness rooted in mainland China.

Moderating effect of family structure on the relationship between early clinical exposure and emotional labor of nursing students: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundEmotional labor is an essential component of nursing practice and is important for Generation Z nursing students born from the mid-1990s to early 2010s. They will become the backbone of the nursing workforce but present more emotional regulation problems. Studies on emotional labor are limited to clinical nurses and influencing factors at the individual level. The impacts of external systems on emotional labor of nursing students have not been explored. This study aimed to quantify the relationship between early clinical exposure and emotional labor and test the moderating effect of family structure on the relationship.MethodsThe cross-sectional study recruited 467 nursing students using convenience sampling from seven colleges and universities in mainland China. An e-survey created on WJX.CN was used to collect data in January 2023. Emotional labor (surface acting and deep acting) was measured with the Emotional Labor scale. Early clinical exposure (exposure or not and times of exposure) and family structure (nuclear family, extended family, and single-parent family) were assessed with self-reported questions. Descriptive statistics and the linear mixed-effects modeling were used to do the analyses.ResultsThe mean scores of surface acting and deep acting were 26.66 ± 5.66 and 13.90 ± 2.40, respectively. A significant difference in scores of surface acting was not observed for exposure or not, whereas such a significant difference was found for times of exposure. Nursing students from extended families demonstrated significantly lower scores on surface acting while exposed to clinical practice compared with those from nuclear families. Family structure moderated the relationship between times of exposure and surface acting of nursing students when exposed to clinical practice for one time, but the significance disappeared when the times of exposure increased. No significant findings of early clinical exposure on deep acting were observed.ConclusionsEarly clinical exposure influenced emotional labor, and students from extended families were more likely to get benefits from early clinical exposure. Studies are needed to help students from nuclear families get comparable benefits on emotional labor as those from extended families, and improve deep acting by early clinical exposure.

Pre-service EFL teachers’ emotional experiences, emotion regulation strategies and influencing factors in research: A Chinese case study

Currently, teacher emotion in the context of conducting research has drawn much attention in the field of teacher development. However, existing empirical studies mainly focus on in-service teachers’ emotional experiences in conducting research, thus overlooking pre-service teachers. This study involving seven pre-service English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers from a comprehensive university in mainland China as participants adopts a qualitative method to explore their emotional experiences, emotion regulation strategies and influencing factors in research. The first major finding is that the participants experienced positive, negative and complex emotions throughout their research journeys. The negative emotions left the deepest impression, with confusion being the most common emotion. Second, the participants employed both antecedent-focused and response-focused strategies to regulate their negative emotions and sustain the positive ones, but they favored the response-focused strategies. The antecedent-focused strategies included attention deployment, cognitive change, separation, expectation lowering and situation selection, while response-focused strategies cover communication, self-improvement, action taking, relaxation, adaptation and expressive suppression. Third, both personal and environmental factors played a part in the participants’ emotion regulation in conducting research. Personal factors included participants’ past experiences, agency, and personality, while environmental factors included relationships with others and the research support they received. The findings have some implications which may be helpful for pre-service EFL teachers, educators and policy makers in conducting and supervising research.

Education for sustainability as a way-out to nurture citizens: a reframing in policy practices of Chinese higher education

PurposeThis study examines education for sustainability (EfS) within the Chinese context, to specifically enrich the understanding on how EfS is structured and implemented to nurture citizenship in the policy practices of universities in Mainland China and Hong Kong.Design/methodology/approachA cross-case analysis is recruited to examine the commonalities and differences between two universities and identify patterns in cultivating sustainability citizenship within higher education institutions (HEIs) in China. Data were collected through reviewing documents, including two universities’ strategic plans, action plans, department meeting memos, program introductions, course outlines and publicity coverage. Observation was also adopted to enrich the data for analysis, covering meetings, speeches by senior management, university events and informal conversations about university operations.FindingsCitizenship and sustainability in university strategic planning, curriculum and instruction, carriers of EfS institutionalization, and resources and impacts of EfS beyond the institutes were analyzed in a comparative manner, offering valuable insights into how EfS can be institutionalized in different universities based on their unique appeals, existing curriculum and management systems.Originality/valueBy exploring these intra-national distinctions in EfS, the study sheds light on the variation within China's citizenship education, which is traditionally seen as highly unified with limited room for differences. The detailed exploration of university strategies and program/course content enriches the literature of sustainability as an educational phenomenon on an international scale and modernized citizenship education in China.

Major Factors of Young Teachers’ Burnout in Private Universities in Mainland China

This article takes young teachers in private universities in mainland China as the research subjects and carries out a literature review focused on teacher burnout and related contexts. The major factors of young teachers’ burnout are found to be the influences from the external environment in private universities, influences from the internal environment in private universities, and the influences from teachers’ own professionalism. Based on the author’s and the young teachers’ experience, the most effective strategy for releasing burnout among private university young teachers is using the motivation system, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and Herzberg’s two-factor theory. Once the sense of belonging is formed, the young teachers trust their prosperity is indivisible with the schools, and they inspire their work enthusiasm and creativity consciously.

Online teaching and learning at Chinese universities during COVID-19: Insiders’ perspectives

During attempts to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic in China, higher education programs shifted their traditional educational models to online models. This paper aimed to explore how Chinese universities organized online teaching and learning during the pandemic. It investigated the factors affecting the implementation of online teaching and provided policy recommendations for improving the quality of education in the post-pandemic period. The primary data for this study came from in-depth interviews with nine students and five teaching and administrative staff at eight major universities in mainland China. Literature was obtained in both English and Chinese from January 2020 to September 2021. Peer-reviewed journals, policy reports, and university documents regarding online education in Chinese universities were reviewed, and their challenges and countermeasures were investigated. The paper found that the implementation of online education was affected by various sources, including technologies, teachers’ teaching skills, network information literacy, and students’ learning motivations and self-directed learning skills. Based on the insiders’ views, the paper suggested that to promote the quality of online education in the post-COVID-19 pandemic, higher education institutes and programs could develop their infrastructure construction, improve teachers’ quality of teaching, and focus on students’ learning motivations.

Challenges in Career Development for Women Academics: A Case Study of a First-Tier University in Mainland China

Challenges in Career Development for Women Academics: A Case Study of a First-Tier University in Mainland China

The effects of listening-based lexical focus-on-form on the learning of morphologically complex words

This study explored the effects of listening-based lexical focus-on-form (lexical FonF) on the acquisition and retention of morphologically complex words. One hundred eighty-two adult English learners with two levels of English proficiency (higher and lower proficiency) from a public university in mainland China were assigned to three different conditions: morphological instruction (MI), an experimental condition in which morphological instruction related to target words was provided in addition to a series of audio passages containing the target items; word meaning explanation (WME), an experimental condition in which explanations of the word meaning of target items were offered in addition to the listening activity; and one control condition (CT) in which learners were exposed only to the listening activity. The results indicated that lexical FonF led to more vocabulary gains than purely incidental FonF and that the MI condition significantly outperformed the WME condition in both the acquisition and retention of morphologically complex words. In addition, no interaction was detected between the preintervention proficiency level and word learning conditions.

Online language learning: a relief or a curse? Examining learner anxiety and preferences for instructional modes

ABSTRACT The Covid-19 pandemic has precipitated a global shift to a ‘new normal’ of online and hybrid learning, significantly affecting language education. This study investigates the impact of emergency remote teaching on language learners’ anxiety, examining their preferences for teaching modes and the reasons behind them. Diverging from prior research conducted in well-established digital environments, this inquiry delves into the improvised and stressful context of emergency remote teaching during a pandemic, shedding light on the unexplored facets of the online learning experience. This study, through a quantitative lens, assesses the experiences of 376 English as a foreign language (EFL) students in China, 65 Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) students in Vietnam, and 44 Chinese as a second language (CSL) students enrolled at universities in mainland China. These groups navigated foreign language learning in their home countries amid pandemic constraints, offering a varied landscape of language learning experiences. Our results indicate that different factors trigger anxiety across different groups, despite a general preference for face-to-face learning, which contrasts with the notion that online learning may offer a more relaxed environment. The findings address critical issues that surfaced during the pandemic and explore implications for language education practices in the post-pandemic context.

Relationships between teacher feedback and English writing proficiency in Chinese students: The mediating effect of writing self-regulated learning strategies

Teacher feedback and self-regulated learning (SRL) are crucial in English as a foreign language (EFL) writing and instruction. However, little work has explored how these two constructs jointly influence writing. This study aimed to examine the relationships between teacher feedback, students' use of writing SRL strategies, and English writing proficiency. Data were used from 691 EFL learners in five universities in mainland China. The results indicated that all types of teacher feedback did not significantly predict students' English writing proficiency but writing SRL strategies did. Besides, all types of teacher feedback significantly predicted writing SRL strategies. Writing SRL strategies mediated the relationships between four types of teacher feedback (i.e., verification feedback, directive feedback, scaffolding feedback, teacher praise)and English writing proficiency. After adding gender as a covariate, two SEM results yielded significant changes: teacher criticism did not predict writing SRL strategies ; writing SRL strategies were not a mediator in the association between scaffolding feedback and English writing proficiency anymore. The findings not only empirically support the social cognitive model of self-regulated writing, but inform us of the importance of using SRL writing strategies in addition to providing varied types of feedback information to enhance students’ English writing proficiency.

Independence and Interdependence: A Comparative Case Study of Individuals From Two Institutions in Mainland China and Hong Kong

&lt;p style="text-align:justify"&gt;There has been a clear shift in higher education to prepare and empower the current students for a future quite different and more complex than that faced by previous generations. In particular, it is expected that they will possess comprehensive abilities to deal with challenges arising from new employment demands and beyond. While liberal arts education has a long history in the West, it has been increasingly implemented more recently in East Asia as one response to the need for educational reform. The research reported here is an empirical study of how liberal arts education has affected individuals from two institutions with distinctive interpretations of “liberal arts education” - University N, the first Sino-foreign joint university in mainland China, and University L, the only public liberal arts university in Hong Kong. Drawing on Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice, this study illustrates the interplay and balance among students’ practical concerns, their sense of social obligation fostered through liberal arts education elements and the wider social structure. Semi-structured interviews with senior students, fresh graduates, and educators were conducted to gather in-depth primary data. These reveal that, by providing interdisciplinary knowledge and transferable skill sets, a liberal arts education experience does enhance individuals’ personal agency and intellectual competencies in a professional context - they are trained to become independent thinkers and learners. Moreover, the “humanistic” aspect of liberal arts is also relevant: having engaged in various activities and programs, students in both universities are encouraged to care, cooperate, and make positive differences in their increasingly interconnected communities.&lt;/p&gt;

Who matters and why? The contributions of different sources of social support to doctoral students' academic engagement

AbstractSocial support is a crucial factor in the academic engagement of doctoral students, which is vital to their overall success. While past studies have mostly focused on the support from doctoral supervisors, support from other significant groups, including institutions, peers and families, has been largely neglected, and even no study has investigated their contributions to doctoral students' development. Drawing from the job demands‐resources model, this study investigated the contributions of different sources (institutions, supervisors, peers and families) of social support to doctoral students' academic engagement. It further examined the mediating role of grit within these relationships. A sample of 472 doctoral students across various disciplines from 10 universities in mainland China responded to an online survey. Results showed that institutional support and supervisory support positively predicted doctoral students' academic engagement, while peer support and family support did not significantly predict academic engagement. Furthermore, grit was found to mediate the relationship between support from institutions and supervisors and academic engagement. Practical implications for higher education institutions, doctoral supervisors and programs are discussed.

Examining student translators’ writing and translation products: quality, errors and self-perceived mental workload

ABSTRACT Although writing and translation are closely related text productions, their interface has rarely been studied in translator training. This study examined student translators’ writing and translation products in terms of their quality, errors and self-perceived mental workload. Data were collected from 11 intermediate-level translation students at a university in mainland China. They were asked to complete four tasks: L1 (Chinese) writing (L1W), L1 (English-Chinese) translation (L1T), L2 (English) writing (L2W), and L2 (Chinese-English) translation (L2T). The results of quantitative analyses revealed no significant linear correlation between self-perceived mental workload and quality/errors, but a significant effect of task type on mental workload. Errors most frequently occurred in translation and L2 text production. The L2W error rate predicted L2T scores and L2T error rates. A discrepancy was noted between the students’ self-evaluation and their actual performance. The findings of this study may help researchers and teachers gain a fine-grained understanding of students’ performance in writing and translation and shed light on the development of pedagogical measures in translator training.

The impact of geopolitics on international student mobility: The Chinese students' perspective

AbstractIn the last few years, international student mobility has been disrupted not only by the global health crisis resulting from the outbreak of the COVID‐19 pandemic but also adversely affected by the rise of geopolitics. The worsening relationship between China and its western counterparts led by the United States and its allies has significantly influenced students' motivation and plan for overseas education. Based upon interviews with 75 students from leading universities in mainland China, this article examines how Chinese elite students evaluate the impact of the new geopolitics on their overseas study plans and opportunities. The study found that, due to the influence of scientific internationalism ideas and institutional habitus, interviewees underestimated the impact of geopolitical factors. Furthermore, unpleasant environmental factors (such as racial discrimination) caused by geopolitical changes are tolerable because most of the interviewees plan to return China after studying abroad. On the other hand, deterioration of Sino‐US relations has substantially affected Chinese students' international mobility. Many interviewees, especially those majoring in science and engineering, were unable to obtain visas. Some of them gave up their study abroad plans, while others transferred to other study abroad destination countries such as the United Kingdom and Singapore. We also find that the perception of the power shift in the field of higher education shapes the students' decision making. This article critically reflects upon the international student mobility from the broader political economy perspective, discussing policy implications for future international education.

Generative Artificial Intelligence to Enhance Architecture Education to Develop Digital Literacy and Holistic Competency

This research investigates the impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) on digital literacy development and holistic competencies in Architecture education. The research design focuses on applying GenAI tools such as ChatGPT, Midjourney, BricsCAD BIM, and VR/AR software and their influence on architectural students' overall competencies. This paper uses a mixed research approach combining a case study of Architecture students' progress in a residential revisitation project, using Midjourney, BricsCAD BIM, and VR/AR software, with an online questionnaire survey administered to 350 undergraduate students at two leading universities in Mainland China and Hong Kong in the 2023-2024 school year. This approach aims to deepen understanding of GenAI's influence on conceptual creativity, initiative, self-management, and stress tolerance within a holistic competency framework. The research results indicate that architecture students frequently use GenAI tools during the design concept stage, suggesting their relevance to specific pedagogy in-studio learning and conceptual creativity. Additionally, the findings reveal a potential correlation between frequent GenAI tool usage, improved time management, and reduced anxiety among Architecture students. The results enhance understanding of digital technology in Architecture education while providing valuable insights for future GenAI implementations. The study highlights the potential benefits of incorporating GenAI, emphasizing their role in fostering creativity, effective time management, and stress tolerance among Architecture students.

The duality of the influence of basic research and applied research on technology transfer performance: evidence from Chinese universities

ABSTRACT This paper addresses the question of how basic research and applied research independently and interdependently affect technology transfer performance. Using the data of 673 universities in mainland China over 2008-2017, we verify that basic and applied research are critical antecedents of university technology transfer. This study further explores whether the interdependent effect of these two types of research on technology transfer performance is synergistic or antagonistic, and finds empirical support for the antagonistic view. Additionally, university-industry connections and the diversity of disciplines are considered as heterogeneity factors that influence the effectiveness of reconciling the two types of research to enhance technology transfer performance. Our empirical results indicate that science parks can alleviate the antagonistic joint influence of basic and applied research on technology transfer performance. Inconsistent with our prediction, no significant disparities exist between comprehensive universities and non-comprehensive ones in this joint influence. This paper contributes to the literature on university technology transfer within the Triple Helix framework by sheding light on the pressures behind reconciling the excellence in basic research and the pursuit of practical application of research outputs during the process of advancing university technology transfer in the context of China.