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E-book Learners in Transition : Chinese Students’ Journeys from EFL to ESL and EIL

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Penilaian

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It may be necessary here to give a very brief sketch of Confucian thought and its paramount influence on Chinese culture. Confucius (551–479 bc) lived during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods (770–221 bc), which was an unprec-edented era of cultural flowering amidst conflict and civil strife in the history of China. As the “First Teacher of China” (Jin & Cortazzi, 2006), Confucius brought education to a large number of people and was rightly regarded as having contributed significantly to Chinese cultural history. His school of thought became known as Confucianism and his teachings were enshrined in the Five Classics and Four Books (Li & Chang, 2001, p. 2). These served as the “core textbook” for the civil service examinations during succeed-ing Chinese dynasties. Their influence even extended beyond imperial China to play a dominant role in the intellectual life of Korea, Japan and Vietnam (often termed the Confucian Heritage Cultures or CHC). Thus, CHC learners are socialised early to the idea of having a core textbook that they must study and know by heart.Confucian philosophy, and hence the resultant Chinese culture, emphasises right relationships between monarch and subject, father and son, husband and wife. The former in each pair has absolute authority over the latter. This hierarchical con-ception of relationships has inevitably impacted the teacher–student relationship. The Chinese learner in the TCCL would never dream of challenging the teacher’s authority. They have been schooled in a teacher-centred curriculum and a highly structured classroom culture.Moreover, Confucian thought also stresses the core concept of “Rites, Intel-ligence, Righteousness, Trust and Benevolence” (Ni, 2008), which are the ideal qualities of a Confucian scholar. Their adherence to this core concept may explain why Chinese learners steeped in the TCCL may appear to be “passive” in class; they may be concerned that being too active would cause them to be seen as showing off, thus marring the harmony of the class.Lest Confucianism is seen as having a negative impact on the ELT classroom, Ni (2008) adds that it embodies some very enlightening concepts. The ideal Confucian scholar in ancient times aspired to becoming a well-rounded gentleman by taking up the Six Arts: Rites, Music, Archery, Horsemanship, Calligraphy and Mathematics. He also had to broaden his experience through his travels. In addition, Confucius promoted critical thinking in academic learning and advocated teaching to meet the different needs of students in order to achieve an educational awareness of their physical and emotional needs.As a result of this culture of learning based on the Confucian tradition, Chinese learners may appear to Western teachers as “weak” at oral communication. They also seem “shy” and “passive”. However, the students see themselves as “active” in class as they are mentally interacting with the teaching intensively and “co-operating” with the teachers (Jin & Cortazzi, 1998).Other studies have also contributed to the literature on the TCCL and the Chi-nese learner. It appears that, in this culture of learning, most students see knowledge as something to be transmitted by the teacher rather than discovered by the learners (Rao, 2001). A later study, Rao (2005), further emphasises three aspects of Chinese culture which have an important impact on attitudes and behaviours of Chinese learners. The first is collectivism and interdependent self in Chinese culture. Sec-ond, such a social orientation has resulted in socialisation for achievement. This can have a highly motivating effect on Chinese students because success and failure in a collectivist culture affect not just oneself but the whole family or group. Thus, in general, Chinese students are highly motivated in their EFL learning, and strongly believe in hard work and effort. Lastly, because of people’s attitudes to power and authority, it is apparent that teachers are authorities and students are passive learners.

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Ketersediaan

Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

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No. Panggil

400 FON l

Penerbit

New York : Taylor & Francis., 2019

Deskripsi Fisik

193 hlm

Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

9780203729380

Klasifikasi

400

Tipe Isi

text

Tipe Media

computer

Tipe Pembawa

online resource

Edisi

-

Subjek

Language

Info Detail Spesifik

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Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

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Versi lain/terkait

Lampiran Berkas

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