Добірка наукової літератури з теми "Chinese students' learning"

The basis for this study was work done by Joy Reid (1987) of Colorado State University. Reid's work analyzed the pref erred perceptual learning styles of several groups of English as a Second Language students and one group of American students. The learning styles concept has been established on the theory that students have a particular mode through which they learn best. The learning styles analyzed in this study were: auditory, visual, kinesthetic, tactile, individual, and group. The objectives of this study were to determine the relationships that exist between the preferred perceptual learning styles of P.R.C. and American students and such variables as country where student is studying, native language, length of time in the U.S., and sex.

As international education continues to expand, countries providing such opportunities not only benefit but also face challenges. For traditional destinations, including the United States and the United Kingdom, the number of international students has been falling. At the same time emerging economies, such as China, are witnessing a rapid increase in the number of international students enrolled in their universities. China is, therefore, beginning to play an important role in the competitive global market for higher education. This thesis analyses and compares the experiences of international students in the UK and China using Transformative Learning theory. While there is an extensive literature on both international higher education and also Transformative Learning theory there are three important contributions that this thesis makes. First, this research applies the theory to two international student groups: UK students in Chinese universities and Chinese students in UK universities. Second, this study includes a focus on the intercultural learning of Chinese doctoral students in the UK filling a gap in current research. Finally, this investigation has extended the very limited number of current research projects on UK students in China. It is generally acknowledged that international students will experience various challenges when they are in a culturally different context. Little research has focused on how and why learners are transformed through exposure to their new environment and, also, why sometimes they are not. This study applies Transformative Learning theory to address two research questions: first, do UK international students in Chinese universities and Chinese international students in UK universities experience transformational learning in/during their overseas studies? Second, what factors foster or impede international students' experience of transformative learning? To answer the above questions semi-structured interviews were used to investigate international students' academic and social experiences. Based on the insights provided by Mezirow, Taylor, and previous studies on international students, I argue that international students' intercultural experience is a complex process. Transformation can occur in various ways and social and personal perspectives underpin the transformative learning of the students. Contributing factors include culture shock, educational conventions, the student's motivation, expectations, personality, gender and previous work experience. The results reflect the significance of differences in teaching styles in the UK and China and the impact this can have on the student teaching and learning process when they move to a new university.

Extensive research into students’ learning strategy use in classroom settings has convincingly established that effective use of learning strategies enables learners to take responsibility for their own learning, promotes learner autonomy, and positively relates to students’ academic performance. However, little research has systematically examined the learning strategy use of PhD students. Consequently, relatively little is known about how students carry out their doctoral learning, in which learner autonomy is of paramount importance. Even less is known about Chinese PhD students in Australian universities and how they cope with independent doctoral study. Few investigations have explicitly focused on the learning processes of this student cohort, and anecdotal evidence has often described Chinese school and university students as passive, dependent and reproductive learners, even though empirical studies assert otherwise. To better understand the learning processes of Chinese PhD students in Australian universities, this study examines their learning strategy use and the factors influencing their application of learning strategies. Using qualitative research methods, which focused on understanding the phenomenon from the students’ perspectives within the context, this study collected interview data from a group of Mainland Chinese PhD students of social sciences. Computer assisted qualitative analysis was performed to provide an in-depth, grounded understanding of the students, their interactions with the learning environment, and their learning processes. This study shows that the investigation of learning strategies is a powerful tool to reveal how PhD students develop autonomy in the doctoral learning process. The results show that the students adopted a range of learning strategies to improve their learning efficiency, to enhance their self-teaching, and to facilitate development of their research competence. Despite the commonalities in their learning strategy use, the students exhibited significant individual differences in applying specific learning strategies, which were determined by their personal qualities, their perceptions of learning contexts, and the demands of the research tasks. This reveals the idiosyncrasies in the learning behaviours of this group of Chinese students and their learner autonomy. This study demonstrates that theoretical and methodological preparation for PhD study was the most significant influence on the students’ learning experience. By applying effective learning strategies, the students who encountered problems of theoretical deficiency, insufficient methodological knowledge, and underdeveloped research skills were able to develop their knowledge and enhance their research competence through the actual process of doing the research. Nevertheless, it appears that methodological training and support were needed to assist them in further enhancing their learning efficiency. The findings of this study reveal that this group of Chinese PhD students were autonomous learners and their application of learning strategies was a result of dynamic interactions between their personal variables and the contextual demands. This study lends support to the argument that, in cross-cultural settings, it is constructive to develop a contextualised understanding of students’ learning behaviours. Furthermore, from the students’ perspective, supervisors who understand them as individuals at the personal level are better able to assist them in learning. Within the stated limitations, this study recommends that future research on Chinese PhD students’ learning strategy use incorporates the perspectives of both students and their supervisors and involves their counterparts from other ethnic backgrounds in order to further understand the effects of cultural differences on their learning strategy use.<br>Thesis (PhD Doctorate)<br>Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)<br>School of Cognition, Language and Special Education<br>Full Text

During the past thirty years, a large body of second language research has targeted vocabulary learning strategies (VLSs) from a cognitive perspective and most of this research tends to treat them as de-contextualised phenomena. In order to develop and broaden the scope of the current VLS research, I explore strategic vocabulary learning from both cognitive and sociocultural approaches and focus on its dynamic, complex and contextually situated nature. The present study, based on a multiple-case study design, investigates the processes of strategic vocabulary learning of six Chinese students who were from a pre-university course in three British universities, using three data collection methods: classroom observations, interviews and VOCABlog (including photovoice and diaries). The analysis of these six student cases shows that they managed their strategic vocabulary learning in relation to their particular settings, milieus and the British culture; they tended to select and deploy a number of strategies rather than individual strategies to improve their learning, and various types of strategy combinations were found; they appeared to operate their strategic vocabulary learning as a dynamic system and this was particularly supported by the findings about their varying degrees of consciousness, the inconsistencies between their strategic approach and their strategy use and the changes in their strategy use. Theoretical contributions for the VLS research and some practical recommendations for vocabulary learning are also provided.

Language learning strategies (LLSs) are “complex, dynamic thoughts and actions, selected and used by learners with some degree of consciousness in specific contexts in order to regulate multiple aspects of themselves (such as cognitive, emotional, and social) for the purpose of a) accomplishing language tasks; b) improving language performance or use; and/or c) enhancing long-term proficiency” (Oxford, 2017, p. 48). Considerable research into LLSs has demonstrated their significance in making learning more effective and enjoyable, and has contributed to advancements in pedagogy as well as language learning theory. Online language learning has become an integral part of 21st century education. This newer form of learning has presented particular challenges which require language learners to adopt particular LLSs and develop new LLSs to effectively manage their learning. However, existing LLS studies have largely been concerned with on-campus students. Furthermore, there has been a lack of context-specific LLS research in online language learning, that is, research that distinguishes between synchronous and asynchronous environments. With the popularity of the Chinese language increasing globally over recent decades, this thesis aims to investigate the types of LLSs that online Chinese learners use across asynchronous and synchronous learning environments in the contexts of self-directed learning, assessment task completion, and online class participation. It also examines how online Chinese learners’ use of LLSs is influenced by the interactants, the characteristics of the specific learning context, and selected individual learner characteristics. This research project was carried out among students in the online Chinese courses provided by Griffith University through Open Universities Australia. Following Creswell (2009, 2012), a mixed-methods approach was employed to investigate their LLS use. The approach utilised four research instruments: an online survey questionnaire adapted from the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) (Oxford, 1990), online interviews, observations of online classes, and tracking of learner activity online. The SILL was adapted to include questionnaire items soliciting participants’ strategy use in online Chinese learning in particular. The investigation of online Chinese students’ LLS use in this project is of significance in four areas. It has provided: 1) new and detailed information about students’ LLS use in online Chinese learning; 2) insights into how individual students adopt LLSs and technological tools to solve learning problems in various learning contexts; 3) an exploration of factors influencing LLS use – on one hand the characteristics of language learning contexts (asynchronous or synchronous environments, and interactants) and, on the other, individual learner characteristics (motives, learning goals, age, and length of prior learning of Chinese); and 4) recommendations regarding LLS adoption, use, and training.<br>Thesis (PhD Doctorate)<br>Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)<br>School of Hum, Lang & Soc Sc<br>Arts, Education and Law<br>Full Text

This thesis is an ethnographic study of a group of Chinese postgraduate students in a British university as they become adjusted to the culture of teaching and learning in the new learning environment during their first year of overseas study. It focuses on these Chinese students’ initial perceptions of British teaching and learning practices compared with their inherited culture of learning and how they make adjustments, emotionally, cognitively, and behaviourally, in order to make their learning successful, with the result of changes and developments in their conceptions and beliefs about knowing and learning. The present study seeks to draw together understanding from the fields of intercultural adaptation theories, tertiary students’ conceptions of learning research, and the interface of culture and learning, i.e. cultures of learning, to explore the impact of studying abroad on students’ intellectual development and personal growth so as to inform international and intercultural education.