Personal valuation of Chinese language for social functions among senior high school learners

Authors

  • Marites A. Montero

    Western Mindanao State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59400/fls.v5i2.1663

Abstract

In recent decades, the Chinese language experienced an increase in educational demand, which calls the academic institutions to integrate basic Chinese language subjects into their curriculum. The spike in Chinese language use resulted in the expansion of language studies focusing on Chinese as a second and foreign language. Given the broad scope of research in Chinese language learning, there was a need to expand the understanding of the personal valuation of the learners in learning the Chinese language. Hence, this study aimed to assess the extent of the subjective valuation of Filipino students in the Chinese language, particularly for social functions. An exploratory approach was carried out to extract narrative data from the study participants. Eight secondary students were interviewed on the personal valuation of the Chinese language within social functions. The findings demonstrated that the Chinese language was commonly used within social instances for specific sociocultural and psycholinguistic patterns. The participants valued the use of the Chinese language because of its instrumentality in their future careers; it enabled them to be culturally sensitive and engaged in sociocultural communication. Theoretical analysis also highlighted that language socialization became a major driving force in language learning. Language socialization encompassed learning beyond academic purposes while underscoring the need for social interaction and interpersonal orientation. Nevertheless, personal valuations reflected learners' beliefs towards the instrumentality of the Chinese language, especially in social functions.

Keywords:

Chinese language, instrumentality, language learning, language socialization, personal valuation

References

[1] Abdolahzadah E, Nia M (2014). Language learning beliefs of Iranian learners: Examining the role of English language proficiency. Procedia–Social and Behavioral Sciences 98: 22–28. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.384

[2] Anderson NJ (2005). L2 learning strategies. In: Handbook of Research in Second Language Teaching and Learning. Routledge. pp. 757–771.

[3] Byram M (2020). Teaching and Assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence: Revisited. Multilingual Matters.

[4] Ceneciro CC, Estoque MR, Chavez JV (2023). Analysis of debate skills to the learners’ confidence and anxiety in the use of the English language in academic engagements. Journal of Namibian Studies 23: 4544–4569.

[5] Chavez JV (2021). Bilingual parents’ dispositions: Precursor to developing the English language teaching curriculum. Psychology and Education Journal 58(5): 161–166.

[6] Chavez JV (2022). Narratives of bilingual parents on the real-life use of English language: Materials for English language teaching curriculum. Arab World English Journal 13(3): 325–338. doi: 10.24093/awej/vol13no3.21

[7] Chavez JV, Lamorinas DD, Ceneciro CC (2023). Message patterns of online gender-based humor, discriminatory practices, biases, stereotyping, and disempowering tools through discourse analysis. Forum for Linguistic Studies 5(2): 1535. doi: 10.59400.fls.v5i2.1535

[8] Chavez JV, Prado RTD (2023). Discourse analysis on online gender-based humor: Markers of normalization, tolerance, and lens of inequality. Forum for Linguistic Studies 5(1): 55–71. doi: 10.18063/fls.v5i1.1530

[9] Chen P (2013). Political, economic and ethnographical perspectives on teaching Chinese as a second language (Chinese). Chinese Teaching in the World 3: 400–412.

[10] Conway C, Richards H (2018). ‘Lunchtimes in New Zealand are cruel’: Reflection as a tool for developing language learners’ intercultural competence. The Language Learning Journal 46(4): 371–383.

[11] Creswell JW (2011). Controversies in mixed methods research. In: Denzin NK, Lincoln YS (editors). The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research. SAGE Publications, Inc. pp. 269–284.

[12] Curdt-Christiansen XL (2008). Reading the world through words: Cultural themes in heritage Chinese language textbooks. Language and Education 22(2): 95–113. doi: 10.2167/le721.0

[13] Dörnyei Z, Ushioda E (2021). Teaching and Researching Motivation. Routledge.

[14] Duff PA (2010). Language socialization into academic discourse communities. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 30: 169–192. doi: 10.1017/S0267190510000048

[15] Duff PA, Anderson T (2015). Academic language and literacy socialization for second language students. The Handbook of Classroom Discourse and Interaction. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. pp. 337–352.

[16] Fan W, Li X (2018). A study of the Chinese learning barriers for preparatory students in China (Chinese). TCSOL Studies 3: 88–94.

[17] Gao X (2014). Motivations, learning activities, and challenges: Learning Mandarin Chinese in Australia. In: Travis C, Hajek J, Nettelbeck C, et al. (editors). Practices and Policies: Current Research in Language and Cultures Education, Proceedings of the Second National LCNAU Colloquium; 3–5 July 2014; Canberra, Australia. LCNAU.

[18] Gao X, Woodcock S, Lu J (2022). Conceptualising English L1 speakers’ motivation for learning L2 Chinese in Australian universities. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development.

[19] García O (2005). Positioning heritage languages in the United States. The Modern Language Journal 89(4): 601–605.

[20] Gardner RC (1985). Social Psychology and Second Language Learning: The Role of Attitudes and Motivation. Arnold.

[21] Gardner RC (2001). Integrative motivation and second language acquisition. In: Dornyei Z, Schmidt R (editors). Motivation and Second Language Acquisition. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 1–20.

[22] Garrett PB, Baquedano-López P (2002). Language socialization: Reproduction and continuity, transformation and change. Annual Review of Anthropology 31(1): 339–361. doi: 10.1146/annurev.anthro.31.040402.085352

[23] Gong Y, Gao X, Lyu B (2020a). Teaching Chinese as a second or foreign language to non-Chinese learners in mainland China (2014–2018). Language Teaching 53(1): 44–62.

[24] Gong Y, Hu X, Lai C (2018a). Chinese as a second language teachers’ cognition in teaching intercultural communicative competence. System 78: 224–233. doi: 10.1016/j.system.2018.09.009

[25] Gong Y, Lai C, Gao X (2020b). The teaching and learning of Chinese as a second or foreign language: The current situation and future directions. Frontiers of Education in China 15: 1–13.

[26] Gong Y, Lyu B, Gao X (2018b). Research on teaching Chinese as a second or foreign language in and outside mainland China: A bibliometric analysis. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher 27(4): 277–289. doi: 10.1007/s40299-018-0385-2

[27] Guo W, Bai B (2022). Effects of self-regulated learning strategy use on motivation in EFL writing: A comparison between high and low achievers in Hong Kong primary schools. Applied Linguistics Review 13(1): 117–139.

[28] Hall JK (1995). (Re)creating our worlds with words: A sociohistorical perspective of face-to-face interaction. Applied Linguistics 16(2): 206–232.

[29] Hanks WF (1999). Indexicality. Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 9: 124–126.

[30] Hassan M (2022). Purposive sampling—Methods, types, and examples. Available online: https://researchmethod.net/purposive-sampling/ (accessed on 24 March 2023).

[31] Jiang X, Cohen AD (2012). A critical review of research on strategies in learning Chinese as both a second and foreign language. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching 2(1): 9–43.

[32] Jiao S, Jin H, You Z, Wang J (2022a). Motivation and its effect on language achievement: Sustainable development of Chinese middle school students’ second language learning. Sustainability 14(16): 9918.

[33] Jiao S, Wang J, Ma X, et al. (2022b). Motivation and its impact on language achievement: Sustainable development of ethnic minority students’ second language learning. Sustainability 14(13): 7898.

[34] Ke C (2006). A model of formative task-based language assessment for Chinese as a foreign language. Language Assessment Quarterly: An International Journal 3(2): 207–227. doi: 10.1207/s15434311laq0302_6

[35] Ke C, Lu Y, Pan X (2015). Assessing international Chinese language teachers’ second language acquisition theoretical foundation and language pedagogy (Chinese). Chinese Teaching in the World 1: 111–129.

[36] Kennedy J (2020). Intercultural pedagogies in Chinese as a foreign language (CFL). Intercultural Education 31(4): 427–446.

[37] Khorsheed R (2021). Youth culture and EFL students’ development of integrative motivation. Theory and Practice in Language Studies 11(4): 377–389.

[38] Kramsch C (1993). Context and Culture in Language Teaching. Oxford University Press.

[39] Kramsch C (2006). The multilingual subject. International Journal of Applied Linguistics 16(1): 97–110.

[40] Lai C, Li Z, Gong Y (2019). Boundary brokering for cross-cultural professional learning in international school contexts. British Educational Research Journal 45(6): 1105–1123. doi: 10.1002/berj.3553

[41] Lantolf JP, Poehner ME, Swain M (2018). The Routledge Handbook of Sociocultural Theory and Second Language Development. Routledge. pp. 1–594.

[42] Li C, Li W (2020). Learner identity in Chinese as a foreign/second language (CFL/CSL) education: A critical review. Frontiers of Education in China 15(1): 73–98. doi: 10.1007/s11516-020-0004-x

[43] Liddicoat AJ, Scarino A (2013). Intercultural Language Teaching and Learning. John Wiley & Sons.

[44] Liu Y (2014). Acoustic analysis of Chinese declarative sentences produced by learners (Chinese). Chinese Language Learning 1: 91–99.

[45] Lo Bianco J, Liddicoat AJ, Crozet C (1999). Striving for the Third Place: Intercultural Competence through Language Education. Language Australia.

[46] Lochmiller LR (2021). Conducting a thematic analysis with qualitative data. The Qualitative Report 26(6): 2029–2044. doi: 10.46743/2160-3715/2021.5008

[47] Loh EK, Tam LC, Lau KC (2019). Moving between language frontiers: The challenges of the medium of instruction policy for Chinese as a second language. Language Policy 18(1): 131–153. doi: 10.1007/s10993-018-9465-7

[48] Losey KM (1995). Gender and ethnicity as factors in the development of verbal skills in bilingual Mexican American women. Tesol Quarterly 29(4): 635–661.

[49] Lu D (2017). Expert views on the greater Chinese (Chinese). Chinese Journal of Language Policy and Planning 4: 81–87.

[50] Lu X, Li G (2008). Motivation and achievement in Chinese language learning: A comparative analysis. Chinese as A Heritage Language: Fostering Rooted World Citizenry 2: 89–108.

[51] McKay SL, Wong SLC (1996). Multiple discourses, multiple identities: Investment and agency in second-language learning among Chinese adolescent immigrant students. Harvard Educational Review 66(3): 577–609.

[52] Morita N (2004). Negotiating participation and identity in second language academic communities. TESOL Quarterly 38(4): 573–603. doi: 10.2307/3588281

[53] Munezane Y (2015). Enhancing willingness to communicate: Relative effects of visualization and goal setting. The Modern Language Journal 99(1): 175–191.

[54] Nam M, Beckett GH (2011). Use of resources in second language writing socialization. TESL-EJ: The Electronic Journal for English as A Second Language 15(1): 1–20

[55] Nie M, Lu J, Zheng Y, Shen Q (2022). Facilitating learners’ participation through classroom translanguaging: Comparing a translanguaging classroom and a monolingual classroom in Chinese language teaching. Applied Linguistics Review. doi: 10.1515/applirev-2022-0136

[56] Nowell LS, Norris JM, White DE, Moules NJ (2017). Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods 16(1): 1609406917733847. doi: 10.1177/1609406917733847

[57] Ochs E (1990). Indexicality and socialization. In: Stigler JW, Shweder R, Herdt G (editors). Cultural Psychology: Essays on Comparative Human Development. Cambridge University Press. pp. 287–308.

[58] Ochs E, Schieffelin BB (2011). The theory of language socialization. In: Duranti A, Ochs E, Schieffelin BB (editors). The Handbook of Language Socialization. Blackwell Publishing Limited. pp. 1–21.

[59] Octaçtepe D (2013). “This is called free-falling theory, not culture shock!”: A narrative inquiry on second language socialization. Journal of Language, Identity, and Education 12(4): 215–229. doi: 10.1080/15348458.2013. 818469

[60] O’Malley JM, Chamot AU (1990). Learning Strategies in Second Language Acquisition. Cambridge University Press.

[61] Qi X, Lai C (2017). The effects of deductive instruction and inductive instruction on learners’ development of pragmatic competence in the teaching of Chinese as a second language. System 70: 26–37. doi: 10.1016/j.system.2017.08.011

[62] Rabbidge M (2019). The effects of translanguaging on participation in EFL classrooms. Journal of Asia TEFL 16(4): 1305.

[63] Riessman CK (2011). What’s different about narrative inquiry? Cases, categories, and contexts. Qualitative Research 3: 310–330.

[64] Schieffelin BB, Ochs E (1986). Language socialization. Annual Review of Anthropology 15(1): 163–191. doi: 10.1146/annurev.an.15.100186.001115

[65] Schneider J, Jin L (2022). International students and faculty across the disciplines: A language socialization perspective. Journal of Language, Identity & Education 21(1): 30–45.

[66] Shao J (2013). Teaching Chinese personal anaphora to second language learners (Chinese). Chinese Teaching in the World 4: 537–547.

[67] Shum MS, Gao F, Tsung L, Ki WW (2011). South Asian students’ Chinese language learning in Hong Kong: Motivations and strategies. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 32(3): 285–297.

[68] Song Y, Lin A (2021). A translanguaging perspective on the medium of instruction for international students in China (Chinese). Chinese Journal of Language Policy and Planning 6(2): 56–66.

[69] Sun X (2011). Motivations, Beliefs, and Chinese Language Learning: A Phenomenological Study in A Canadian University [Master’s thesis]. University of Manitoba.

[70] Swedberg R (2020). Exploratory research. In: Elman C, Gerring J, Mahoney J (editors). The Production of Knowledge: Enhancing Progress in Social Science. Cambridge University Press. pp. 17–41.

[71] Thomas WP, Collier V (1997). School Effectiveness for Language Minority Students. NCBE Resource Collection Series, No. 9. ERIC.

[72] Tsung L, Wang W, Wang K (2017). Diversities and motivations of Chinese L2 learners. Global Science 3(2). doi: 10.1515/glochi-2017-0009

[73] Umeanowai KO, Lei W (2022). A study of Chinese learners’ beliefs, strategy use and proficiency in learning Chinese as a foreign language. International Journal of Linguistics Studies 2(1): 19–30.

[74] Van den Branden K (2000). Does negotiation of meaning promote reading comprehension? A study of multilingual primary school classes. Reading Research Quarterly 35(3): 426–443.

[75] Wang W, Bale J (2019). Mentoring for new secondary Chinese language teachers in the United States. System 84: 53–63. doi: 10.1016/j.system.2019.05.002

[76] Wang Y, Derakhshan A, Zhang L (2021). Researching and practicing positive psychology in second/foreign language learning and teaching: The past, current status, and future directions. Frontiers in Psychology 12: 731721.

[77] Wei L (2011). Moment analysis and translanguaging space: Discursive construction of identities by multilingual Chinese youth in Britain. Journal of Pragmatics 43(5): 1222–1235.

[78] White C (2008). Expectations and emergent beliefs of self-instructed language learners. System 27(4): 443–457.

[79] Xie Y (2018). Motivation of ideal Chinese L2 self and global competence: A case study on postsecondary Chinese language learners Chinese as a second language. The Journal of the Chinese Language Teachers Association, USA 53(2): 163–186. doi: 10.1075/csl.17023.xie

[80] Xu H, Moloney R (2019). Motivation for learning Chinese in the Australian context: A research focus on tertiary students. In: Lamb M, Csizér K, Henry A, Ryan S (editors). The Palgrave Handbook of Motivation for Language Learning. Palgrave Macmillan Cham. pp. 449–469.

[81] Yang J (2019). Understanding Chinese language teachers’ beliefs about themselves and their students in an English context. System 80: 73–82. doi: 10.1016/j.system.2018.10.014

[82] Yashima T, Nishida R, Mizumoto A (2017). Influence of learner beliefs and gender on the motivating power of L2 selves. The Modern Language Journal 101(4): 691–711.

[83] Zappa-Hollman S (2007). Academic presentations across post-secondary contexts: The discourse socialization of non-native English speakers. Canadian Modern Language Review 63(4): 455–485. doi: 10.3138/cmlr. 63.4.455

[84] Zhang H, Roberts L (2019). The role of phonological awareness and phonetic radical awareness in acquiring Chinese literacy skills in learners of Chinese as a second language. System 81: 163–178. doi: 10.1016/j.system.2019.02.007

[85] Zhang Y, Wildemuth BM (2009). Unstructured interviews. In: Wildemuth BM (editor). Applications of Social Research Methods to Questions in Information and Library Science. ABC-CLIO. pp. 222–231.

[86] Zhao H, Huang J (2010). China’s policy of Chinese as a foreign language and the use of overseas confucius institutes. Educational Research for Policy and Practice 9(2): 127–142. doi: 10.1007/s10671-009-9078-1

[87] Zhao Q (2016). An investigation into Chinese spoken language proficiency for preparatory students in China (Chinese). Chinese Teaching in the World 3: 368–378.

[88] Zhao Y (2011). A tree in the wood: A review of research on L2 Chinese acquisition. Second Language Research 27(4): 559–572. doi: 10.1177/0267658311417836

[89] Zheng B (2021). Translanguaging in a Chinese immersion classroom: An ecological examination of instructional discourses. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 24(9): 1324–1339.

Downloads

Issue

Vol. 5 , Iss. 2 (September 2023)

Article Type

Article

License

Copyright © 2023 Marites A. Montero

Creative Commons License

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.