Massey Documents by Type

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/294

Browse

Has files: YesSubject: search.filters.subject.Second language acquisition

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The dynamics of willingness to communicate in synchronous Chinese online language teaching and learning : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Linguistics at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2023) Huang, Huan
    While there has been growing academic attention to researching the dynamics in willingness to communicate (WTC), the variability in learners’ WTC over different timescales has remained relatively under-researched, particularly in online language learning contexts. Although research on the dynamics of WTC has largely drawn from the learners’ perspectives, little attention has been paid to individual learners’ WTC by focusing on the perceptions of both the teachers and the learners. This study was carried out in a one-to-one Chinese language learning videoconferencing setting, where one tutor was partnered with one learner (four pairs in total) undertaking five or ten sessions, each lasting 20 minutes. This Synchronous Chinese Online Language Teaching (SCOLT) project, jointly offered by Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) and Massey University (MU), was purposefully built to support adult distance language learners of Chinese in New Zealand in experiencing learner-centred, personalised language learning in online environments. The study aims to explore the unique experience of each learner and to understand their WTC in Chinese (WTCC) across different timescales, including over single interactions, single sessions, and a series of sessions. Taking into account multidimensional factors affecting learners’ WTCC, the tutors’ and learners’ perceptions across different timescales were also examined. Informed by Complex Dynamic System Theory (CDST), this study employed a qualitative longitudinal case study research design. Multiple methods were applied for data collection, including the idiodynamic method, the experience sampling method (ESM), journals, the Session-based WTCC scales, stimulated recalls based on the learning session recordings, and a pre-session questionnaire. In order to portray insights about WTCC within each dyad, this study also conducted the idiodynamic method with the tutors to collect their views about their learners’ WTCC during communicative activities. Findings suggest how learners’ WTCC on multiple timescales fluctuated during Chinese language communication activities. Learners’ WTCC changed and stabilised over time, emerging from their interactions with the tutors, and the online environment. Furthermore, the dynamic and non-linear nature of learners’ WTCC also appeared in micro timescales, such as minutes and seconds, which were influenced by the complex interplay of the individual (learners’ self-perceived communicative competence, negative and positive emotions); the situational (topic-related factors, tutor-related variables, and the multimodality); and learners’ agency to reinforce or resist the impacts of the factors at a specific time. The four learners showed quite different dynamics in WTCC, highlighting the uniqueness of individuals and the inherent complexity of WTCC systems. In addition, tutors’ and learners’ perceptions of learners’ WTCC became more consistent over time with a desire to build and maintain the relationship and to select communication topics convergent with learners’ communication needs. However, the respective ratings did not always match due to the complex and dynamic nature of learners’ WTCC. This study contributes to the literature in the field of learners’ WTC research by extending our understanding of the dynamics of learners’ WTCC in online Chinese language learning context. Based on the findings, this study has implications for research methodology and theoretical frames, shedding light on how learners’ WTCC change at different timescales. Implications for online language learning and teaching are identified which can inform one-to-one contexts, teacher training and future research.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Positive emotions in English language learning in the Vietnamese tertiary contexts : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Linguistics at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2023) Nguyen, Thi Anh Hong
    This thesis explores the emotions students experienced during their English language learning trajectories in the Vietnamese tertiary context. It specifically focuses on the students’ positive emotions and on the role of hope as a mediating factor in triggering shifts in students’ emotions from negative to positive. Drawing on a sociocultural approach, this study explores the contribution of positive emotions in their English language learning. This qualitative study aims to contribute to our understanding of the complexity, diversity, and dynamics of emotions in English language learning as well as the role of Vietnamese culture in the emotions students experienced. The study is based on written narratives and interviews with students taking English language courses within three affiliated universities in Vietnam. The data were obtained from a total of 185 written narrative responses and 10 student interviews. Narrative analysis (Barkhuizen et al., 2013) was used to analyse small stories in the written narratives and thematic analysis (Talmy, 2010) was used for analysing the interview data. The findings indicate that both positive and negative emotions co-existed in the students’ English language learning experiences. The range of activity-related, success-linked, and failure-linked emotions highlighted by the findings illustrate that activity-related emotions such as enjoyment and excitement positively triggered students’ engagement, while negative emotions such as boredom negatively impacted it. Success-linked emotions originated from students’ self-assessed successes in meeting personal study or learning goals, their parents’ or teachers’ expectations, or the standards imposed by the community or society as a whole, with positive achievement emotions strongly associated with positive outcomes. In contrast, failure-linked emotions were associated with the students’ failure in achieving personal targets and in meeting the expectations others had of them, their recognition of their own shortcomings in relation to accepted social standards, or from negative evaluations from other people. Importantly, the findings showed that emotions are socially and culturally constructed, and in particular associated with the features of the local Confucian cultural heritage. Overall, the thesis illustrates the role of people living around students or in interactions with them in the emergence and development of emotions associated with English language learning. Finally, hope, as an emotion, emerged as playing a significant role in the transition between negative and positive emotions. The insights of the study contribute to the theory of emotions in language learning by delineating in detail the close and reciprocal relationship between emotions, self-efficacy and motivation, and by providing evidence of the role of hope in motivating students. It also contributes to our understanding of the role cultural factors play in shaping students’ emotions. The findings have implications for policymakers, educational trainers, school managers, teachers, parents, and language learners.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Wairua and the relationship it has with learning te reo Māori within Te Ataarangi : a report presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Educational Administration at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2005) Browne, Marcia H
    This “compressed ethnographic study” (LeCompte & Schensul 1999:59,88) investigates wairua as an aspect of second language acquisition within the organisation of Te Ataarangi, and suggests that wairua is an important phenomenon within the discipline of second language teaching and learning. As this particular area of enquiry has not been a subject of research, the literature review was essentially interdisciplinary. A literature search that incorporated Ethno-linguistics, Linguistics, Psycholinguistics, Philosophy, Psychology, Physics and Indigenous epistemologies provided the support for clear understandings that are being discussed in this thesis. An analysis of ‘organic intellectual’ experiences and flax-root theory regarding wairua and its relationship with learning te reo Māori was interpreted through Māori and Language Acquisition epistemologies based upon implicit learning, and then tied back to other disciplines when the literature was scarce. Wairua a spiritual phenomenon, as described by participants in this study enters the learning environment through a variety of means, which can then be utilised within the teaching and learning process. It is posited that this is essentially through a physical gateway as paralinguistic phenomena, such that sound vibration derived from positive thought intent with related kinaesthetic body responses act as vehicles to transport wairua. Thus wairua becomes an affective input for the implicit unconscious of students. Common links, patterns and themes within participant interview material triangulated with observations, written teaching resources and documents were arrived at with the aid of NVivo, a computer program designed specifically to “give access to data” that “can be examined and analysed” (Gibbs 2002:11) in order to build theoretical understandings. Teaching principles and practices identified by participants as the essential keys in accessing wairua to enhance the learning of te reo Māori are documented. This study opens the field for further investigation which potentially strengthens the work being done to “further current goals for Māori wellbeing” (Durie1995:8) within the cultural framework of a Māori world view.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Language learning strategies : a study of strategies used by Japanese adults to learn English in New Zealand, with particular reference to perception and production of difficult phonemes : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Japanese at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2002) Crawford, Masako
    This thesis is an examination of strategies used for learning English by a number of Japanese adults in Wellington, New Zealand. It reports the participants' own perception of their selection and use of strategies, as well as quantitative and qualitative data which I collected in a structured research programme. For the more formal questionnaires I mainly used the 50-strategy version of the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) (Oxford, 1990) translated into Japanese by Ban and Shishido in Oxford (1994). English pronunciation tests consisting of two perception and three production tests were administered to look for any relationship between the use of strategies and the proficiency level of the learners. Three independent judges (all native speakers of New Zealand English) assessed the production tests. I personally conducted in Japanese all the one-to-one interviews (which proved to be most productive of unusual facts and original views), and administered all the pronunciation tests in English. Three of the fifty SILL items were discarded because they were not consistent with the rest of the items in their respective subscales. After the adjustment all six subscales were deemed to be reliable. The scores of the three judges were found to be consistent with each other. The scores of the overall pronunciation test and the adjusted SILL were then analysed using SPSS. The results of the interviews were analysed according to the six subcategories of the SILL. Analysis of participants' performance in the SILL revealed the low use of memory strategies and high and medium use of all other strategy categories. The English pronunciation total scores were found to distribute fairly symmetrically. Significant relationships were found between proficiency in pronunciation and the use of cognitive strategies. The responses to interviews proved that the participants misunderstood some of the SILL questions and that some of the SILL questions were unsuitable to participants with Japanese language backgrounds. The principal conclusion of the research is that each learner chooses learning strategies according to the needs and purposes of their current situation, and that past success and failure influence the choice of strategies. Much of the material may simply reinforce knowledge and experience already widely held, but it is hoped that there may be some facets which may be helpful to those actively engaged as teachers or in research not only in the specific areas of Japanese people learning English in New Zealand but also in the wider context of ESL and EFL.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Overcoming language barriers in early childhood education : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Sociology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2016) Beauchamp, Angela Katina
    New Zealand’s increasingly heterogeneous population places manifold demands on the education sector to educate and integrate children who do not speak English. Children of migrant background attending early childhood settings are assumed to benefit in English language obtainment from attending early years educational facilities, but does the mere placement in such settings achieve the desired outcome? Limited research exists into how minority language children acquire English whilst attending preschool settings, how this impacts on their first language, or on how teachers support their second language development. There is little insight into what motivates teachers in their interactions and decision-making, how they adjust teaching content, and whether they engage in language-specific teaching activities at all. To address this gap, this study considers questions regarding the relationship between early childhood teachers’ knowledge of second language acquisition and the type of support they report implementing. I investigate educators’ views and reported practices, as well as the influence of professional training, institutional policies, and philosophies. This research used a qualitative perspective and was benchmarked against comparative reflections of my own teaching experience. The inductive methodology involved semi-structured interviews of early childhood practitioners, covering a selection of educational settings in the Wellington region that practise distinct philosophies. Results show that teachers rely on their centres’ philosophies and socio-cultural practices as per Te Whāriki - the New Zealand curriculum - in their work with minority language children. The consensus was that early childhood education is to prepare language foundations through emotional confidence and cultural capability, not to set academic standards, and children’s perceived natural ability to learn by osmosis is accorded much credence. These findings suggest that teachers’ knowledge regarding complex language and cognitive processes could be significantly improved. Furthermore, support for te reo Māori and Pasifika first languages in New Zealand notwithstanding, practices tend to facilitate institutionalized monolingualism. Future research in all migrant language learning would add to the knowledge base about second language acquisition in New Zealand and the role of early childhood education in this dynamic. As well, there is scope for a discussion on language inequities and the possibilities of a plurilingual society.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Communication apprehension of Chinese ESL students : a thesis completed in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Second Language Teaching at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1996) Mak, Barley Shuk Yin
    This study investigates the communication apprehension (CA) as defined by Horwitz et al (1986) of a group of Chinese ESL secondary students in New Zealand. The relative importance of a number of sources (educational, social, and cultural) of CA which have been identified for Chinese students of English is considered. The relationship between CA, wait time and certain in-class practices such as questioning and voluntary speaking is examined. A further aspect of the study explores the ways in which students can articulate suggestions for coping with CA. The relative importance of sources of CA is investigated by means of interviews, a ranking exercise and verbal reports. A questionnaire and "classroom" session further corroborate the sources of CA in relation to certain in-class practices and wait-time. Scenarios (hypothetical situations) are used to examine the strategies which these students considered effective for coping with CA. Results indicated that language distance between Chinese and English contributed strongly to CA among Chinese ESL students because the two languages are substantially different in terms of language structure and use. Culture also emerged as an important dimension in CA in the present study and that the students' cultural background affected their learning style, attitudes towards certain in-class practices and expectations in school. It was also found that speaking in front of the class and insufficient preparation were important sources of CA within the classroom. Students reported on both the affective and practical ways in which they attempted to cope with CA. The thesis concludes with an examination of the methodological and theoretical implications of the study. The present research has highlighted the importance of applying the case study approach to further CA studies. It has also demonstrated that language distance, preparation time and affective variables are among some of the important elements which have been neglected by previous anxiety research. A number of tentative and practical recommendations from the study are proposed together with suggestions for further research.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Metacognitive, cognitive, social and affective strategy use in foreign language learning : a comparative study : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1993) White, Cynthia Joan
    This study examines the metacognitive, cognitive, social and affective strategy use of foreign language learners who are studying either in classroom situations or at a distance. The impact on learning strategy use of a number of variables is considered, relating to 1) the language learning context (mode of study, target language, level of study and language use opportunities) and 2) learner characteristics (age, gender, language learning experience, prior experience in learning the target language, motivation, proficiency). The strategy use of learners is measured by means of 1) a self-report questionnaire (N=417) which also elicits relevant biographical information and 2) a verbal report procedure, the yoked subject technique, administered to a subsample of the questionnaire group (N=37). Canonical variate analysis was applied to the questionnaire data, and instances of strategy use were identified and classified in the verbal protocols using two independent raters. Results indicated that the main influences on strategy use were mode of study and the age of learners; that distance learners were set further apart from classroom learners on metacognitive strategy use measures when the influence of the target language, proficiency, prior target language experience and level of study was considered; that learners who had had prior experience in learning the target language before enrolling in a university language course were maximally distinguished in their cognitive strategy use from learners without such prior experience; that mode of study exerted some influence on cognitive strategy use, but this was less than the influence of prior target language experience; that differences in cognitive strategy use between learners of French and learners of Japanese in the verbal report procedure could not be attributed solely to the influence of the target language; and that distance learners make less use of social strategies and greater use of affective strategies than their classroom counterparts. Methodological and theoretical implications of the study are presented, and an appraisal is made of the usefulness of particular strategy use models for the investigation of language learning strategies. A number of tentative, practical recommendations from the study are proposed together with suggestions for further research.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Written feedback in a freshman writing course in the U.A.E. : instructors' and students' perspectives on giving, getting and using feedback : a dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Second Language Teaching at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2008) Shine, Elva Anne
    Instructors' frustration with the feedback/revision cycle in a tertiary setting provided the impetus for this study examining the complex issue of written feedback on L2 writing. Areas of contention considered included the type of feedback offered, when to offer it and how to present it to encourage maximum use by students as well as the actual use students made of the written feedback. An ethnographic approach led to three case studies being conducted in academic writing classes in a university in the United Arab Emirates. The students' and the instructors' perspectives were drawn on as well as those of other interested parties including other instructors in the department and writing center tutors. Interviews, focus groups and email exchanges were the principle sources used to gather participants' views. In addition, students answered questionnaires on instructor and peer feedback procedures. Essays were examined in terms of instructor and peer feedback, and the students' responses to that feedback were examined. The data gathered from these sources exposed contradictions and misunderstandings. It appeared that students had little faith in peer feedback but a strong desire for instructor feedback, which they believed they used when revising; however, instructors doubted that most students made any significant use of feedback or even revised productively. Examination of the essays suggested that: instructors did not always offer the feedback they intended to offer focusing more on grammar than content, and sometimes instructors underestimated how much feedback students attempted to act on. The study identified that key problems for students were: understanding the extent of revisions anticipated, knowing what to concentrate their efforts on and knowing how to act on the feedback, especially if they had exhausted their ideas on a topic. In addition, the difficulty of providing clear, usable feedback suggests that rather than relying extensively on written feedback, other ways of assisting students to revise their writing should be considered. The study suggests that feedback that relates explicitly to classroom instruction, and exposure to revision strategies are two techniques that offer a lot of potential for improving students' responses to written feedback. Instructors should also consider making their feedback strategies and expectations of the students explicit. Finally, individual variables mean that it is unlikely that one approach will work for all students; therefore, instructors need to be flexible and respond according to the needs of the student.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Motivational influences affecting female long-term learners of English in Japan : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy (Humanities and Social Sciences) in Second Language Teaching, Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2010) Watabe, Kathryn Mary
    This study explores the influences that have affected the motivational development of a group of adult Japanese female long-term learners of English. The participants in this study are representative of large numbers of Japanese women who continue to invest significant amounts of time and money into learning English over many years but whose circumstances mean that they do not appear to fit traditional theories of motivation in which integrative or instrumental factors are central. This study also shows that in order to understand the development of motivation in long-term learners it is necessary to consider the individual within the context of a range of wider social forces. I use the Life Stages approach to better understand the way in which the learning situation and experiences of these women have been affected by the reality of their social and domestic roles during different periods in their lives as English students. This study also supports Dörnyei’s theory of the Ideal-L2-Self (2009) as more useful than previous theories of integrativeness, which do not appear to be relevant to the context of these learners, in understanding the motivational development of these women. The study found that the Ideal-L2-Self changed for these women as they moved through the different Life Stages but that it was the Ideal-L2-Self that was able to sustain their interest in studying English despite negative and frustrating learning experiences. The study found that while these women may by some measures not be considered to be serious English students due to the fact that they did not seek to integrate into an English-language community, the experience of being long-term learners of English had been significant in the lives of these women. In particular, as mature students of English, these women have been able to participate in a socially sanctioned activity that allows them to develop an aspect of themselves that is separate to their domestic roles.