Abstract
Presenters: Xuanying Shen, Gareth Morris, Yunyi Zhou, Yaohui Liang (Language Centre)
Key words: Chinese; Language Learning; Strategies; Motivation
Learning Chinese is a difficult proposition for many learners. This is because the language is so unique in terms of its constituent features (such as the characters and tones). For others however, especially those whose linguistic systems share similar characteristics, this is less of a challenge. The difficulty language teacher’s face though is that within any classroom, and at any given ability level, learners’ differ considerably. Not only is this the case in terms of relative linguistic backgrounds, or perhaps more obvious demographic characteristics, but also as a result of the reasons behind why learners’ have decided to study Chinese and what presently motivates them with this endeavor. With all of these aspects potentially influencing how much success learner’s experience, and also how courses are ultimately perceived and judged, this research sets out to establish what Chinese language learning strategies adult learners’ use, and whether this if affected by linguistic background and / or language proficiency. The research also seeks to explore what motivated learners to begin studying Chinese in the first place, as well as what motivates them in the more immediate term. Approached from a pragmatic paradigmatic research position, this study has modified Oxford’s (1990) Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) to collect the sought after data. Participants will be a combination of those who study the language as part of a degree programme, alongside those who have no academic commitment or reason behind enrollment per se. It is hoped that the results from this survey will help to enable the Chinese language teaching team (CLTT) at Xi’an Jiao Tong – Liverpool University (XJTLU) to potentially better customize their curriculum, materials and pedagogic approaches to learners’ (present and future) needs, preferences and interests as a result. It is also hoped that in due course this research will help to fill a language learning literature gap, and help to advance a body of knowledge, which is, as the work of Chen (2009) illustrates, compared to studies conducted into English language learning strategies and motivation, comparatively lacking.
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