Chinese Studies Commons^™

Facilitating Chinese Language Education With Chinese Calligraphy, Huiwen Li

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

Chinese Calligraphy, a treasure of traditional Chinese culture, maintains considerable significance within the realm of global Chinese education. This article thoroughly scrutinizes the inherent value of calligraphy courses in overseas Chinese education. Primarily, it delves into the profound impact calligraphy classes have on students' Chinese language proficiency, intercultural cognitive skills, and aesthetic appreciation. Furthermore, this article elucidates the lamentable scarcity of calligraphy, while simultaneously revealing a range of strategic solutions to address this pressing issue. These strategies encompass comprehensive teacher training, optimization of teaching methodologies, creation of comprehensive calligraphy course materials and resources, as well as the procurement of substantial …

Learning Chinese Vocabulary: Understanding Students' Perspectives, Austin Gasiecki, Zuotang Zhang

The Coastal Review: An Online Peer-reviewed Journal

This study used a survey to investigate self-study and university-enrolled Chinese learners’ habits in studying Chinese vocabulary in order to determine what study methods influence a.) learners’ confidence in learning Chinese vocabulary and b.) what aspects of Chinese vocabulary they consider easy or difficult. We were particularly interested in seeing what the data had to say about students’ attitudes towards characters and the written language, given that the field of Chinese language pedagogy is known for a stronger focus on the written language as opposed to the spoken language. We found that aspects of Chinese vocabulary associated with the spoken …

Between Pain And Glory: Memory Disputes Of The Brazilian Dictatorship In Retrato Calado And O Que É Isso, Companheiro?, Angela R. Mooney

The Coastal Review: An Online Peer-reviewed Journal

This article analyzes Luiz Roberto Salinas Fortes’ Retrato calado (Silent Portrait) published in 1988, considering the theoretical discussions on testimonio's epistemology—addressing the challenge of narrating trauma and the risk of stylization. It compares Fortes' memoir with Fernando Gabeira's O que é isso, companheiro? (What's This, Comrade?) from 1979, examining diverse approaches to capturing historical trauma through literature and its impact on collective memory about Brazilian Dictatorship (1964-1985).

Decolonizing French: Afrophonics In Ken Bugul’S Aller Et Retour (2013), Hapsatou Wane

The Coastal Review: An Online Peer-reviewed Journal

This article explores the innovative language strategies employed by Senegalese writer Ken Bugul in her novel Aller et retour to construct a dynamic and interconnected linguistic landscape that challenges fixed language boundaries. Ken Bugul's "langue fabriquée" combines elements of French, Wolof, and English, reflecting a transglocal dimension that embodies the essence of afrophonics—a poetics of resistance that empowers local cultures in a globalized context. Through a detailed analysis of Ken Bugul's linguistic choices, including the use of quotation marks, footnotes, and arbitrary transcription, the study reveals how she creates a language that defies categorization and decolonizes French without resorting to …

La Radical Imperfección Del Mundo: El Crimen Perfecto De Jean Baudrillard Y El Crimen Ferpecto De Alex De La Iglesia, Maria A. Gomez

The Coastal Review: An Online Peer-reviewed Journal

Le parfait crime (1995) by Jean Baudrillard and Crimen ferpecto (2004) by the Basque director Alex de la Iglesia are two works that not only have in common almost identical titles. They both reflect on how in consumer societies, an imperfect real world is substituted for an illusory hyperreality in which the distinction between subject and object has disappeared. While Baudrillard explains how the denial of a transcendent reality in contemporary society is “a perfect crime” that destroys the real, Alex de la Iglesia uses black humor and a mix of genres (mainly grotesque comedy and thriller) to show the …

De Médée À La Sorcière : Reconstruction D’Un Mythe Par Michelet, Caroline Strobbe

The Coastal Review: An Online Peer-reviewed Journal

In La Sorcière, Jules Michelet uses the strength and the myth of the Medea character, which had already fascinated Corneille. In the second part of his work, Michelet creates nominative witches after authentic texts. In the first part, he creates an allegoric witch on the Medea model: the Woman, a victim of arbitrariness, injustice and repression, rises up against her oppressors, figuring the march of Humanity towards Enlightenment and Liberty. The analogies between the Witch and Medea are therefore numerous and necessary, since they help to render the defense of the oppressed against the oppressor. Would the somber Medea, …

On Forms And Regulations Of Han Poetry, Shang-Ju Chiang

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

Traditional poetics is gradually disappearing under the impact of modernization. Aiming to provide Chinese with specific ways to understand the poetics of Chinese characters, this article articulates and analyzes most of the Han Poetry forms and regulations illustrated with the author-created poems, such as the traditional quatrains and regulated poems and many more. It is the author’s hope that more people will appreciate and inherit classic poetry but also be innovative.

Cooperative Language Learning In Teaching Proficiency Through Reading And Storytelling, Jing Gao

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) is becoming widely recognized and implemented in K-12 language classrooms across the nation. Cooperative language learning structures interactive group work for learners’ language development. In communicative language classrooms, cooperative learning can be implemented in TPRS to encourage students’ interaction and communication in collaborative tasks. This article explores the application of cooperative language learning in the TPRS Chinese classroom. Specific teaching methods are discussed in each step of TPRS, including establishing meaning, story asking, and story reading. Cooperative language learning in TPRS increases students’ engagement and motivation in language learning and promotes their language …

Enhancing Grammar Learning With A Multimedia Instructional Module: Design And Teaching Of “Shì…De” Construction For Cfl Learners, Shenglan Zhang

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

This pilot study examined the effectiveness and students’ perceptions of a multimedia module on intermediate Chinese-as-a-Foreign-Language (CFL) learners’ understanding and use of the “shì…de” construction. The module was designed based on the First Principles of Instruction (Morrill, 2002) and the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (Mayer, 2009; 2014). It provided a systematic and comprehensive approach to teaching the “shì…de” construction, one of the most challenging grammar points in CFL. Twenty-two CFL learners participated in this mixed-methods pilot study. Data were collected using pre- and post-tests, a survey, think-alouds, and semi-structured interviews. Findings show that after using the module, …

Language Learning Through Interaction: Online And In The Classroom, Andrew J. Demil, Rachel Kozikowski

The Coastal Review: An Online Peer-reviewed Journal

Online language teaching has become a popular alternative to classroom learning (Liu et al; Warschauer and Meskill). This led to research comparing the two learning environments (Young). Regardless of the learning environment, in order to be effective, the second language classroom must be designed to lead learners to acquisition. Studies suggest that collaborative tasks that push learners to negotiate meaning lead to acquisition (Leeser; Loewen and Erlam; Mackey and Philp; Stafford, Bowden, Sanz). Participants in this study were in two environments; a second language classroom in the typical in person classroom format, and a language learning course in an online …

La “Border Culture” Del Personaje Mexicoamericano En El Sureste De Estados Unidos En Los Cuentos De Lorraine López Y Mijito Doesn’T Live Here Anymore De Jaime Martínez, Jaime Chavez

The Coastal Review: An Online Peer-reviewed Journal

This paper explores the concepts of "Border Culture" and "Borderlands" by Gloria Anzaldúa in Soy la Avon Lady and Other Stories, Homicide Survivors Picnic and Other Stories, by Lorraine López and the novel Mijito Doesn’t Live Here Anymore by Jaime Martínez. The paper argues that the Mexican American character in the southeast of the United States lives in the "Borderlands" and practices a "Border Culture" because they don't follow the traditional stereotypical role of the Mexican American character within the literary canon of both the dominant culture and Chicana/o literature.

Pensar El Límite: El Símbolo Indígena En Los Proyectos Políticos Cubanos De Principios Del Siglo Xix, Jorge L. Camacho

The Coastal Review: An Online Peer-reviewed Journal

This article investigates the way in which Cuban literature reflected on indigenous people during the early half of the nineteenth century and uses the symbol of the Amerindians to demonstrate a moral disjuncture between them and the colonizer. In this article, I call attention to the way Cuban independentists and Spanish nationalists used this figure to support their views and thus created a split in the Cuban creole imagination. I start by pointing out that these appropriations started at the end of the 18th century when historian José Martín Félix de Arrate, and poets such as Miguel González and Manuel …

Research On The Effect Of Using Online Interactive Learning Resources On The Learning Outcomes Of Chinese L2 Adult Learners In An Intermediate Class, Qiao Yu Cai

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

As digital technology improves each passing day, knowledge transmission and learning methods are changing too. Gone are the days of using pen and paper as the main means for teaching and learning, and it is common to teach a target language using online learning resources, especially during the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML) and whole-brain learning, using online learning resources assisted instruction can produce better learning outcomes, so it is appropriate for teachers of teaching Chinese to speakers of other languages (TCSOL) to use such resources. However, one question remains to …

Needs Analysis In Teaching Chinese For Special Purposes: From Theory To Practice, Zhongqi Shi

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

As a critical component of curriculum creation and syllabus design, needs analysis has not been widely used in the field of teaching Chinese as a foreign language. To address some common misconceptions, this article discusses various aspects of need analysis with the goal of structuring a more comprehensive picture of this approach. Based upon that, a variety of needs analysis methods are introduced through examples, aimed at enabling frontline Chinese teachers to effectively use needs analysis in their own classrooms and ultimately improving their instruction.

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy In Teaching Proficiency Through Reading And Storytelling, Jing Gao

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

When the demographics in American public schools becomes more diverse, educators have been challenged how to be prepared to work with diverse student learners. In education field, culturally relevant pedagogy has been widely recognized as an effective practice for teaching about diversity and used across different school subject areas. This article discusses four aspects that teachers can implement culturally relevant pedagogy in TPRS language classrooms, including a caring learning community, establishing meaning, story asking, and story reading. Teachers can include and empower students by validating them as learning subjects and engaging them in knowledge creation and representation in curriculum and …

Using A Smart Phone To Learn Spanish: Does It Work And Will Students Use It?, Andrew J. Demil, Alysha Assaf, Ryan Cragun

The Coastal Review: An Online Peer-reviewed Journal

Over time, mobile devices have penetrated the classroom, requiring new and beneficial ways to implement classroom instruction. Research suggests that Short Message Service (SMS) based instruction is an effective tool for acquiring second language (L2) vocabulary and idiom knowledge (Hayati, Jalilifar, & Mashhadi; Lu,). Additionally, studies have found that students believe that mobile learning (m-learning) is beneficial to acquiring a second language (Cavus & Ibrahim; Hayati, Jalilifar, & Mashhadi; Lu, 2008). This study examined whether m-learning can lead to Spanish vocabulary familiarity and if sentence comprehension outperforms reading definitions. Participants were 29 native English speakers studying Spanish as a second …

Achieving Efficient Teacher Talk: A Reflective Analysis Of Teacher-Student Class Communication, Xiaoyin Wang

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of studies on “teacher talk” used in TCSL classrooms. Many of these studies are focused on language interactions between the teacher and the students as well as on the individual functions of “the teachers’ classroom talk.” This article examines the current status of, and problems associated with, teachers’ instructional language, i.e., teacher talk. Based on transcripts of audio recordings of teachers’ instructional language, this study analyzes problems ranging from inaccurate to excessive words in the instructional language and the causes of these problems. This article also validates the study …

Learners’ Perspectives On A Long-Term Tandem Chinese Language Partner Program, Jun Xu

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

Tandem language learning is important in enhancing learners’ language proficiency and fostering cultural knowledge. However, learners’ perspectives on tandem learning programs have received little attention, and no research exists concerning learners’ perspectives on long-term tandem language learning. Based on an anonymous online survey, this article examines how learners perceive a face-to-face tandem Chinese language partner program after participation for three years. The results indicate that, whereas the participants acknowledge the benefits of the participation of the language partner program, they identify challenges regarding logistics and task design. The implications of the findings are also discussed.

A Story To Tell… How To Integrate The Three Modes Of Communication Through A Story Time Program In French, Frederique Grim

The Coastal Review: An Online Peer-reviewed Journal

Bilingual story time programs found in local community libraries not only benefit children, they can also serve a need for L2 college students: the development of their communicative skills in an authentic environment. In addition to linguistic benefits, experiential learning has proven to prepare students for real-world skills, such as networking, mock professional experience and a sense of community engagement. This paper recounts how a world language story time program supports L2 learners’ three modes of communication, as articulated by ACTFL, and necessary for language development. Based on students’ perceptions, this study highlights their increase in motivation and confidence in …

Effective Strategies For Integrating Stem Education Into Chinese Language Classroom, Sophie Wang, Christine Zhang

Faculty Publications & Research

1. What is STEM?

-How can it be integrated into the current language curriculum?

2. Why STEM?

-Trend of offering the Mandarin course at K-12 schools

3. Chinese Curriculum & STEM-focused topics

-The STEM-focused topics incorporated at IMSA

4. Teaching strategies

-Lesson design, use of authentic materials, activities

The Past And Present Of Chinese Language Teaching In Ireland, Caitríona Osborne, Qi Zhang, Yongbin Xia

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

China’s booming economy is indeed one of the main reasons for the popularity of learning Chinese as a foreign language (henceforth CFL). With this growing interest in CFL, Ireland is likely to be behind global trends as Chinese is not yet included as a State-examined subject at any level in the Irish schooling system. Chinese language teaching (henceforth CLT) began to develop significantly in formal UK schooling during 2004-2005 (Zhang & Li, 2010), whereas the earliest occurrence of CLT seen in the Irish education system was in 2006-2007 when two Confucius Institutes were set up in Ireland. During this time, …

New Approach To Chinese Writing: An Exploratory Study Of Writing Performance On Social Q&A Online Community, Lin Zhu

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

Many studies have investigated how the online community has informed language acquisition and teaching. In the scholarship of Computer-Mediated Communication Theory (CMC), while most of the studies have emphasized second language English writing using the CMC framework, evidence is shown to support CMC in foreign language instruction. However, there is a lack of research on how feedback from native speakers of Chinese influences Chinese learners’ writing in a web environment. In response to the research gap, drawing on sociocultural and CMC, the current exploratory study probes the nature of feedback on Zhihu, the largest Chinese social question-and-answer website, and how …

Challenges Of Employing Voicethread To Enhance U.S. Collegiate Chinese Language Learners’ Oral Proficiency, Guangyan Chen, Junyu Zhang

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

The digital age in education inspires Chinese teachers to integrate Web 2.0 technologies into Chinese as a second language (CSL) curricula to enhance teaching effects. However, few studies examine the challenges that teachers face when integrating Web 2.0 technologies to improve student oral proficiency in Chinese. This study aims to investigate students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the Web 2.0 technology VoiceThread (VT). It examines the challenges of integrating VT to enhance student oral proficiency. The authors conducted two studies with 31 students responding to a questionnaire in Study 1 and 48 students responding to the same questionnaire in Study …

Motivating Students To Talk: Ted Conference In University-Based Chinese Language Classrooms, Danping Wang

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

This paper presents an innovative teaching method that uses TED conference to stimulate and support learners of Chinese in improving their speaking skills. In non-target language countries, students are often reluctant to use Chinese in real life. This study overviews a case where TED conferences were integrated into a university-based Chinese language course in New Zealand. It also discusses the major findings emerging from implementing this innovative pedagogy as well as the recommendations for future research. While motivating students to use Chinese in public setting, the approach has also enhanced critical thinking skills and co-learning in language classrooms. This paper …

'Long Live Chairman Mao!' The Cultural Revolution And The Mao Personality Cult, Angelica Maldonado

History - Master of Arts in Teaching

I. Synthesis Essay……………………………....3

II. Primary documents and headnotes………..28

III. Textbook critique……………………………33

IV. New textbook entry………………………....37

V. Bibliography…………………………………..40

Call For Submissions, Cltmt Editor

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

Call for Submissions

Problems And The Coping Measures In American Beginners’ Chinese Calligraphy Writing, Huiwen Li, Brendan Mcdermott

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

Through class observations and interviews, this study identified eight types of writing errors that American beginners of Chinese calligraphy. These errors include: (1) failure to apply the Chinese philosophical mindset when producing a real work of calligraphy, (2) dropping some stroke(s) or stroke part(s), (3) misplaced strokes, (4) improperly connected strokes, (5) misshapen curved strokes, (6) disproportionate component size, (7) incorrect thickness and character size, and (8) angled vertical strokes. These errors reflect the students’ lack of knowledge of Chinese characters, the writing skills, and the application of Yin and Yang philosophy. Corresponding instructions and guidance are needed to help …

Introduction Of The World Organic Language Teaching Approach, Jingyi Zhang

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

This article introduces the OWL instructional approach including its rationale, target setting, procedure, and class structure. With the OWL experience, the author also gives reflections on this approach.

The Evaluation Of Implicit And Explicit Instruction In Chinese Refusals: A Case Of A Japanese Learner, Bo Zhan

Purdue Linguistics, Literature, and Second Language Studies Conference

No abstract provided.

Session A-3: The Yin And Yang Of U.S.-China Relations 1840-Present, Diane Haleas

Professional Learning Day

The United States and China have experienced both difficult relations and positive relations. For over 150 years these interactions between the United States and China have resulted in significant influences on political, economic, and cultural decisions in both countries. This presentation will offer an overview of time periods, emphasize crucial events, and analyze the implications for U.S.-China relations today and in the future. Lesson plan ideas will be included.