In Study 2, I further refined these scales and created an additional measure of commentary mediation, reflecting, in part, socio-emotional-regulation aspects of the writing interaction process. Across both Hong Kong and Beijing, these three measures of literate mediation, print mediation, and commentary mediation, were examined in relation to cognitive/metalinguistic awareness skills and Chinese reading and writing skills in three groups of children and their mothers. These groups included 63 Hong Kong third year kindergartners, 43 Beijing third year kindergartners, and 49 Beijing first graders. Results of Study 2 showed that mothers of kindergarten children tended to use lower level mediation strategies, such as stroke and component segmentation, and allowed less autonomy during the joint writing process. In contrast, mothers of first graders tended to use higher level mediation strategies, such as character level mediation, and allowed more autonomy, during this process. Results of the commentary mediation analyses demonstrated that Hong Kong mothers offered more negative than positive responses compared to Beijing mothers, particularly for kindergartners. In addition, the literate mediation and print mediation scale scores were significantly correlated with Chinese reading and writing in both Hong Kong and Beijing K3 children, but not in Beijing first graders. Scores on the literate mediation scale explained 11% to 25% unique variance in literacy skills in Beijing K3 children and reading skills in Hong Kong K3 children, even with maternal education, nonverbal reasoning, visual skills and metalinguistic awareness statistically controlled. In Hong Kong K3 children, children's orthographic awareness partially mediated the relation between literate mediation and Chinese word reading. Of all commentary mediation measures included, only the process mediation measure, focused on specific comments toward children's effort or strategies, was found to be uniquely associated with Chinese word reading and writing in Hong Kong K3 children and significantly related to Chinese word reading in Beijing K3 children with children's age, nonverbal reasoning and maternal education statistically controlled. Study 3 extended and tested the maternal mediation measure to Pinyin writing in Beijing K3 children. Maternal Pinyin mediation was uniquely associated with Chinese word reading even apart from children's general cognitive skills, maternal education, and phonological awareness. / The present research was among the first attempts to analyze the nature of maternal mediation of writing in Chinese and its association with literacy skills. The findings highlight the importance of maternal mediation of writing in preschool children's independent literacy development in Chinese across Hong Kong and Beijing. / This dissertation consisted of three studies investigating the nature of maternal mediation of writing among kindergarten and first grade children and their mothers across the two prominent Chinese societies of Hong Kong and Beijing and further examined the associations of maternal mediation of writing with cognitive /metalinguistic abilities and literacy skills in Chinese cross-culturally. In Study 1, two scales of literate mediation and print mediation based on mother-child writing interactions were created and refined. These scales, developed following work on Hebrew by Aram and Levin (2001; 2004), were modified and tested among 67 Hong Kong mother-child dyads from three grade levels---second year kindergarten, third year kindergarten, and first grade. The results showed that mothers' use of lower-level memorization strategies tended to be negatively associated with their children's reading skills, whereas mothers' higher level analytic scaffolding strategies were positively correlated with reading skills, even with age, grade level, nonverbal reasoning, and maternal education statistically controlled. / Lin, Dan. / Adviser: Catherine McBride-Chang. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 72-11, Section: A, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 148-163). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese; some appendices include Chinese characters.

In recent years in the United States, an increasing number of people are learning Mandarin, the dominant Chinese language in China. Because of the shortage of Mandarin teachers, many visiting teachers from China with Chinese educational background are teaching Mandarin in the U.S. schools. In the U.S. classrooms, these teachers are challenged to adapt to a new setting. This experience can lead them to changing their teaching identity, that is, their basic beliefs, attitudes and practices about teaching. Understanding how Chinese teachers may form a new teaching identity in the U.S. context serves to inform future professional development activities designed to increase their competence as teachers in U.S. classrooms. The purpose of this study was to describe and explain what is visiting Chinese language teachers' identity and how the identity changes might take place when they teach Mandarin in U.S. classrooms. The broader goal is to find ways to encourage Chinese language teaching competency in the U.S. classrooms and to foster cross-cultural communication. In this study, I used mixed methods research to study 14 visiting Chinese language teachers with Chinese educational background to find out how they perceive their teaching and how they teach in the U.S. classrooms. My findings were: (a) visiting Chinese language teachers changed their teaching attitudes, beliefs, and teaching practice in U.S. classroom; (b) teachers with a high teaching identity on Teaching Identity Survey maintained a high level of teaching identity after four months of teaching in U.S. classrooms; and, (c) visiting Chinese language teachers who changed their teaching identity engaged in critical reflections on their teaching practice, and learned from both Chinese and U.S. teachers. To have a positive impact on Chinese language teachers' identity and increase the likelihood of success, two implications are evident. First, Chinese language teachers could benefit from the professional development program with a focus on cultural differences and U.S. classroom management strategies. Second, U.S. schools and Chinese language programs need to create opportunities for teachers to learn from each other and build a professional community.

香港教育在課程和評估等方面均十分重視學生口語或書面論辯的能力，不論是學習階段內的全港性系統評估，還是學生完成中學課程後所參加的中學會考 (2012年之前) 或文憑考試 (2012年後)，均要求學生參與小組討論，訓練並考核學生評價觀點的強弱、適當回應組員的觀點的能力。香港教師能夠引導學生綜合書面論辯篇章的組織，並指導學生提出理由支持自己的觀點，但少於培養學生如何理解乃至評價他人觀點的根據，以及回應並發展反駁的能力。學生能夠評價書面篇章內容，也能在教師指導下辨識作者觀點的理據，但在小組討論中建立相反觀點以說服持不同意見的其他成員，表現仍見不足。 本研究旨在發展理論架構與分析程序，以分析中學生在中文小組討論中的論辯。為此，本研究探討了中文小組討論的論辯話語的特徵、學生表達觀點與理據所運用的策略、批判地回應對手的方式，特別是發展反駁、評價對手觀點與理據，以及表達與有衝突的觀點。 十八名來自九所中學的中學畢業學生按學校與性別的分層隨機分配到三組六人組別中，參與時限為廿五分鐘的中文小組討論。他們須討論一項禁止學校小賣部售賣垃圾食物，並禁止學生?帶垃圾食物回校的措施是否合理。學生的討論經謄錄後，在質性分析軟體 (NVivo) 的輔助下，運用話語分析和非形式邏輯中的論辯理論分析，以發現學生在討論中建構論辯的模式，包括：意念、言語行為、論辯圖式、討論的四個中文小組論辯討論的四個層次、廿五項讓學生得以建構論辯並參與討論的言語行為、六種論辯圖式及發展反駁的相關批判問題、討論的五階段，特別是學生傾向於把相互矛盾的論點統合為沒有衝突的討論發展方向。 本研究提出了理論架構與分析程序，把學生在中文小組討論的論辯歸類，以分析論辯的特徵。本論文所提供的研究程序、理論架構、分析程序，以及學生在中文小組論辯討論的表現，有助中國語文課程及其他課程中論辯教育的課程發展、教學設計與評估。最後，本論文探索了研究設計的優點與不足，並提出了日後繼續發展本研究的可能方向。 The ability of Hong Kong students to frame arguments in written and spoken exchanges in Chinese is afforded high priority in Hong Kong secondary schools and is strongly emphasised in the Hong Kong Curriculum. The ability to attend to points made in a discussion, to identify strengths and weaknesses in assertions and content and to make appropriate counter responses has been formally examined in the matriculation examination since 2007. Teachers are comfortable about developing students‘ competence in identifying micro- and macro-structures in text content, and in using these to support opinions expressed in writing. They are less assured about teaching students how to perceive the grounds for counter-arguments and making measured responses and rebuttals of what others in a group have said. Students are able to critically examine text content, to appreciate points advanced and to assemble these in written responses, but, partly due to the Confucian endorsement of avoiding confrontation and disharmony, senior secondary students are apprehensive about public discussions in which they are asked to formulate opposing points of view and persuasive arguments to peers who hold conflicting standpoints. The study set out to assist teachers by establishing a theoretical framework and procedure for analyzing students‘ contributions in group discussion in Chinese. To achieve this, it was necessary to investigate characteristics of discourse; to identify the strategies students employ in presenting reasoned points of view; to critically analyse the contributions of others, especially those presenting counter-arguments; to weigh the merits of opposing opinions; and to present propositions against those expressed by fellow group members. Eighteen final year secondary school students from nine schools were selected, randomly placed into stratified groups of six and asked to participate in twenty-five minute long group discussions of the merits of a school policy prohibiting the sale of junk food in the school canteen and bringing junk food into school. The students‘ utterances were transcribed and points of argument examined using conversational discourse analyses, the logic of the arguments advanced being analysed with the assistance of research software (NVivo). Patterns of argument formulations by the students in the discussions were found. Levels of idea units, speech acts, argumentative scheme and discussion were identified and twenty-five types of spoken exchanges enabling students to construct arguments during the group discussions were identified. Six types of argument shemes were found; and types of critical questions for stimulating justifications and rebuttals of what participants said in the discussions were noted. A five-stage process of presenting arguments in the discussions emerged, together with a tendency for the students to attempt to integrate disparate and heterogeneous points of view into homogeneous standpoints. The research proposes procedures for analyzing and categorising the arguments students raise in group discussion in Chinese, and a framework for developing teaching students how to formulate and sustain telling arguments as part of the Chinese Language Curriculum. The strengths and weaknesses of the research are set out and the implications for further research and current practice are discussed. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

This multiple-case study investigated six teachers’ perspectives on their teaching practices and cultural integration in a Chinese heritage language school. This research also explored how the teachers’ instructional practices were linked to Ladson-Billings’ theories on culturally relevant pedagogy (1994). Qualitative in nature, multiple data sources were included, such as semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and teachers’ artifacts. Data analysis included both within- and cross-case analysis. Within-case analysis showed that each teacher had her particular method of fostering students’ language learning. They also had unique ways of teaching Chinese culture; one held that culture is embedded in literature, another held that culture is the daily life of a group of people, another held that culture is gained through reading, a fourth held that culture is transmitted from one generation to the next, another held that culture is analyzed in relation to other cultures, and, finally, one teacher perceived that culture is hybrid and multifaceted. Based on the central tenets of culturally relevant pedagogy, four themes emerged from the cross-case analysis: (a) motivational and skill-building strategies to promote academic success, (b) individual, plural, and progressive ways to integrate and reconceptualize Chinese culture, (c) rebalancing authority to share power with students, and (d) culture identity development to enhance self-empowerment. Despite the link between the current study and Ladson-Billings’ theory, differences were found. For example, the Chinese teachers viewed heritage language learning as a way to help students connect their family members rather than to become active agents in the larger society. Besides cultural facts, the teachers incorporated cultural virtues and cultural reconceptualization. Instead of focusing on questioning inequities, the teachers encouraged students to build harmonious relationship with other ethnic groups. As the existing studies emphasized minority education for Mexican and African American students, the present study shed new light on language and culture instruction for Chinese Americans. This study suggests four implications: (a) developing heritage language teachers’ professional knowledge about implementing a “student-centered” approach, (b) enhancing heritage language teachers’ critical cultural awareness, (c) investigating heritage language teaching from diverse sociocultural backgrounds, and (d) introducing the theory of culturally relevant pedagogy in heritage language education. / text

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Education / Master / Master of Education

Recent research in the Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (TCFL) field has focused on the pedagogical perspectives underlying TCFL textbooks and their compilation. With the increasing interaction between China and other countries in global contexts such as culture, economics and commerce, there is a great need to expand research regarding all areas and issues within TCFL, especially in the important area of vocabulary and its translation in TCFL textbooks (Tsung and Cruickshank, 2011). This research investigates a range of translation problems related to the accuracy of the vocabulary lists featured in 12 selected representative TCFL textbooks for teaching Chinese as a foreign language. This thesis presents findings from three triangulation cases (questionnaire survey, corpus research, and assessment test) involving two different groups of participants (e.g. Chinese teachers who completed the questionnaire survey and Chinese undergraduates majoring in English who underwent the assessment test). The contribution of this study is as follows: 1) I conduct a series of empirical evidence based on the viewpoints of practitioners regarding the identified translation problems to fill the gap that there are more descriptive and pedagogical works in the vocabulary translation of TCFL textbooks; 2) I adopt functional equivalence theory of translation and linguistics–based approaches (semantic, pragmatic and grammatical perspectives) to establish a theoretical framework which provides a flexible way of analysing translation and enables the original meanings of Chinese words to be analysed through various perspectives, especially for Chinese and English vocabulary analysis and translation; 3) I draw on translation quality evaluation theory to generate a translation quality evaluation framework which can serve as a reference point for other translation evaluation work regarding vocabulary conducted during other relevant studies; 4) I demonstrate that the majority of translation problems gathered from the selected TCFL textbooks were found at the preliminary level and in the content word class which have much practical relevance and research value for the pedagogical purpose of vocabulary teaching and translation; and 5) I build up a specific parallel corpus with passages and vocabulary lists of the selected TCFL textbooks.

The thesis explores Chinese teachers’ conceptions of teaching and learning Chinese at Chinese complementary schools in Scotland. The teachers taught either Cantonese or Mandarin, the two main Chinese languages spoken by Scotland’s Chinese communities; teaching took place on a voluntary basis at weekends; the teachers were drawn from a variety of occupations; most of the pupils were of Chinese ethnicity, with in addition some non-Chinese children. The research mainly draws on phenomenography, a research approach that investigates variation in conceptions of different phenomena as these appear to particular groups of people – in this case, teachers of Chinese in Scottish complementary schools. The variation refers to the different conceptions of teaching and learning that were identified in the group of teachers as a whole. Semi-structured interviews with each individual teacher were devised, conducted and analysed according to phenomenographic procedures. From the group as a whole six key conceptions of teaching were identified, and likewise six key conceptions of learning. In addition, the research focused on a smaller number of teachers in order to identify individual profiles in greater depth. The teacher interviews also elicited the metaphors that the teachers considered represented good teaching and learning. The interviews also served to identify the factors that the teachers considered had most influenced their conceptions, and they were complemented by qualitative classroom observations designed to identify factors that would allow the researcher to better understand the context in which the teachers had formed their conceptions. The findings showed that Mandarin and Cantonese teachers had much in common, but that also there were clear differences in particular areas that seemed to be explained both by differences in culture between Mandarin-speaking Mainland China and Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong, and also by emerging differences in power and status, with Mandarin assuming a dominant role and Cantonese showing some decline in numbers and in optimism, with some parents switching their children over from Cantonese to Mandarin. More generally, the findings suggested that the teachers were dedicated, adaptable, and different from the stereotypical perception of Chinese teachers of the sort that emphasises examinations, rote-learning and authoritarian teaching style. The teachers in the present study generally understood their pupils had multiple identities and they sought to teach in a child-centred way, and to help their pupils preserve moral values and a Chinese component of their identity through learning Chinese language and experiencing Chinese culture.

The importance of China as world power has led to a growing interest in and demand for learning Mandarin as a Foreign Language (MFL) worldwide. This study focuses on a comparative study of the provision of MFL in higher education in China and in South Africa. A conceptual framework was provided by examining theories of language policy planning and second language or foreign language acquisition as well as an overview of MFL provision in Chinese and South African higher education. MFL policy in China is characterised as a diffusion policy driven by economic globalisation, „soft power‟ and culture, and supported by legislation, funding and implementation. In South Africa, no specific policy underlies MFL, although motivation for MFL provision is given through strategic economic relations between South Africa and China. Against this background, a mixed-method inquiry conducted in two phases examined MFL at three purposefully selected universities in China and at the four university providers in South Africa. Phase One investigated lecturer perceptions of MFL tuition using a researcher-designed questionnaire; Phase Two explored student experiences of MFL using semi-structured interviews with purposefully selected MFL students in both countries. Findings indicated similarities in lecturer profile and differences in lecturers' perceptions regarding institutional support for MFL, particularly in institutions offering degrees in MFL, the MFL classroom environment and the curriculum. Student participants identified differences in studying MFL abroad in China and at home in South Africa in terms of class scheduling, peer and tutor support, student enrolments and design of educational programmes. All language skills were acquired more rapidly in the immersion learning context in China than in the first language dominant South African context, especially communication skills. Similarities were demonstrated in the emotional dimension of learning a new language, the main needs of MFL students, the opportunity to use or speak Mandarin, motivation to study Mandarin, and the challenges characteristic of Mandarin as a language. Recommendations for improvement of practice were given in terms of immersion context creation, opportunity to learn support, Confucius Institute facilities and exchange programmes for study abroad, lecturer and tutor improvement, and the establishment of an incentive to learn mechanism in South Africa. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Comparative Education)

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education