1,721,063 research outputs found
Older Chinese Migrants in Auckland City: Language, Coping Strategies, and Well-Being
No full textThis study examines the language challenges, life routines and well-being of older Chinese migrants in Auckland, New Zealand. The study has three objectives: (1) to explore the specific language challenges participants encounter in their daily lives; (2) to identify the impact of these language challenges on their overall well-being (physical, psychological, and social well-being); (3) to uncover the coping strategies they employ to cope with the language challenges and support their well-being.
The qualitative study design draws on data compiled over a period of six months from 18 older Chinese immigrants living in Auckland. The research instruments encompassed a combination of a questionnaire, two rounds of interviews, and three rounds of go-alongs. The data were analysed using a hybrid approach of thematic analysis and content analysis facilitated by NVivo 12.
The study identified three domains in which the older migrants encountered language challenges: interpersonal communication, instructive activities of daily living (hereafter IADL) for participants' ability to function in society (e.g., taking a walk, shopping, banking), and civic engagement (e.g., political elections). I established that language challenges within IADLs exhibited a stratification of complexities related to the venues' specificities and tasks involved. Language challenges were found to have negative effects on participants' physical (e.g., the considerable stamina needed for routine matters such as taking a bus), psychological (e.g., embarrassment, emotional suppression, loneliness, social anxiety), and social (e.g., limited social interaction opportunities, social isolation) well-being.
Finally, the study identified three aspects of coping strategies that participants developed to respond to these language challenges, namely problem-focused coping (e.g., taking English courses, using technology), emotion-focused coping (e.g., seeking support from family members, ethnic communities, institutions), and meaning-focused coping (embracing the mindset of “let-it-be” and “no-difference”). The employment of these strategies sustain participants' overall well-being. The study concludes with theoretical, methodological, and practical implications
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
A Holistic Approach to Chinese Character Acquisition: Insights from Beginner Chinese Language Learners
No full textAlthough the Chinese language has gained in popularity in New Zealand and around the world in recent decades, it remains challenging for learners for various reasons. One of the challenges of learning Chinese is the writing system: Hanzi (or Chinese characters). To better understand the difficulties Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) learners face when learning to read and write Hanzi for the first time, this study adopts a holistic approach to understand the overall learning experience of beginning CFL learners in their initial stage of Hanzi learning in a higher education context. Using Rubin's (2005) Learner Self-Management (LSM) model as a guiding framework, the study examines the following variables that influence Hanzi acquisition: beliefs, strategies, motivation, and knowledge that plays an important role in Hanzi cognition and comprehension but is underexplored.
A mixed methods approach is adopted to shed light on the following research questions: What kind of learning beliefs and strategies are developed by CFL learners for Hanzi acquisition? What kinds of Hanzi knowledge are constructed in the initial learning stage? And how do learners stay motivated and regulate learning Hanzi learning? The study has been carried out in two stages. In Stage One, an online questionnaire was distributed to collect quantitative data on beginner CFL learners’ beliefs about Hanzi learning and their Hanzi learning strategies. In Stage Two, a test paper was given to students, followed by an interview to examine the skills and strategies of CFL learners while acquiring Hanzi. This study adopts a think-aloud method to observe the cognitive process of students when they complete tests.
This project presents several key findings. Firstly, it reveals that beginner CFL learners possess a considerable understanding of the unique nature of Hanzi and are motivated to become competent users of the Chinese language, despite being aware of the challenges associated with acquiring a non-alphabetic writing system. Additionally, the study demonstrates that after learning about 200 characters, learners exhibit moderate orthographic knowledge, including character configuration knowledge, structural knowledge, and positional regularities. However, they still have limited awareness of the functional regularities of Hanzi components, which are rarely taught in class. Regarding learning strategies, this investigation indicates that beginner CFL learners predominantly use cognitive strategies rather than metacognitive strategies (pronunciation-and-meaning-based strategies are the most commonly employed cognitive strategies). Repetition emerges as students’ most frequently used and recommended strategy.
In addition, this project provides a detailed description of the orthographic awareness development of novice CFL learners by employing the think-aloud method. This can be instrumental in supporting the attainment of native speaker-level orthographic awareness of Hanzi among students during future character-learning endeavours.
By adopting a holistic approach, this research examined a range of variables and how they jointly contribute to Hanzi acquisition. Cognitive strategies, especially stroke-based strategies and semantics-and-phonetics-based strategies, not only facilitate learners’ ability of deconstructing characters into smaller units, but also improve their skills of building connections between meaning, sound and symbol. In addition, learners’ positive beliefs towards Hanzi learning also contribute to their learning performance. With this holistic view, a deeper understanding can be gained regarding the role of individual differences under the surface of uneven levels of Hanzi skills and diverse strategy use. Finally, the thesis outlines the pedagogical implications of its findings
Towards a Positive Psychology Turn in Chinese Language Learning: Are L2 Grit and Emotion Key to Success?
No full textSecond and foreign language (L2) learning is a lengthy, goal-directed process replete with challenges and hurdles, requiring the power of grit, which is defined as a personality trait that reflects commitment and interest in pursuing development. However, it is also unknown if the strength of L2 grit (PE: perseverance of effort; CI: consistency of interest) and emotion will be validated in Chinese as a Second Language (CSL) learning in an overall and skill-specific way.
To bridge the gap, this mixed-method study investigated 350 university participants (342 CSL learners and eight teachers) in mainland China, with 333 participants taking part in the quantitative strand and 17 participants involved in the qualitative strand to understand CSL learners’ emotional experience, the sources of three prevalent classroom emotions such as foreign language enjoyment (FLE), foreign language learning boredom (FLLB), and foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA), and the intricate relationship between L2 grit, emotions, and overall and skill-specific (i.e., listening and reading) online achievement.
The quantitative data demonstrated that (1) CSL participants exhibited moderate to high levels of L2 grit, high levels of FLE, low levels of FLLB, and low to moderate levels of FLCA; (2) PE significantly predicted FLE, FLLB, FLCA, and overall language achievement (OLA), but CI only predicted FLE. Three mediating paths showed statistical significance: PEFLEOLA, PEFLCAOLA, and CIFLEOLA; and (3) PE was a significant predictor of FLE, FLLB, FLCA, listening achievement (LA) and reading achievement (RA), but CI was only a predictor of FLE and RA. Only one mediating path reflected significance: PEFLCALA. The qualitative data suggested that (1) CSL learners experienced diverse emotions beyond three prevalent emotions; (2) FLE was mainly related to the teacher dimension, but FLLB and FLCA were closely tied to the student self; and (3) PE and CI mutually strengthened each other, and they jointly shaped CSL online achievement, and negative emotions did not necessarily hinder language achievement. Pedagogical implications concerning harnessing personality strength and emotions in CSL language study are also discussed
Exploring the Role of Vocabulary in EFL Learners’ Speaking Proficiency: A Mixed Methods Study
No full textVocabulary occupies an essential place in speaking. Previous research has examined the
vocabulary–speaking link by exploring lexical features and characteristics in spoken discourses,
investigating the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and oral proficiency, and
inspecting the association between lexical richness and speaking. However, little attempt has
been made to integrate these approaches. This three-phase mixed-methods research aimed to
resolve the complexities regarding the relationship between vocabulary and speaking in the
context of tertiary-level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners in China from macro,
meso and micro levels.
At the macro level, Phase I aimed to quantitatively probe into EFL learners’ vocabulary
repertoires and speaking proficiency, particularly to explore the contribution of EFL learners’
receptive, productive and aural vocabulary knowledge to their speaking proficiency. To
achieve this aim, a total of 74 elementary to upper-intermediate tertiary-level students were
invited to complete three vocabulary tests and one speaking task designed to measure three
aspects of vocabulary knowledge (receptive, productive and aural) and speaking proficiency,
respectively. Findings showed that all three aspects of vocabulary knowledge were
significantly correlated with speaking proficiency and aural vocabulary knowledge made a
significant, unique contribution to learners’ oral performance.
At the meso level, Phase II examined the lexical dimension of learners’ performance in the
speaking task. First, data were quantitatively analysed regarding lexical richness (lexical
density, diversity and sophistication) and its relationship to speaking proficiency. Second, 74
students were categorised into four groups according to their speaking scores for the task
(elementary, pre-intermediate, intermediate and upper-intermediate). The vocabulary use of
each group was qualitatively inspected in terms of lexical features (lexical appropriateness,
accuracy and formulaic language). The results indicated that lexical diversity and
sophistication were significantly associated with learners’ overall speaking proficiency,
indicating that the more proficiently learners speak, the more diverse and sophisticated
vocabulary they produce. Multi-group qualitative analyses further revealed different features
and patterns of lexical use across various proficiency levels.
Phase III drew on stimulated verbal recalls to qualitatively inspect micro-level information
regarding vocabulary-related cognition and strategies in the speaking process of a sub-cohort
of seven students of varied proficiency. This was done in conjunction with raters’ decisionmaking processes pertaining to lexis in assessing these seven students. These students were
randomly selected from the four groups in Phase II. Students’ and raters’ views on vocabulary
and speaking were also collected via semi-structured interviews. The findings from the
qualitative analysis revealed that learners paid more attention to lexical diversity, sophistication
and fluency in their speaking. In contrast, raters assigned greater importance to lexical
appropriateness, accuracy and fluency in assessing lexis in speaking.
These findings help clarify the myth among Chinese EFL learners — blaming ‘far-fromsatisfactory speaking’ for ‘never enough vocabulary’. They also provide insightful implications
for teaching, learning and assessing vocabulary in speaking
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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