Learning Chinese in a Multilingual Space: An Ecological Perspective on Studying Abroad [Hardcover]

This book examines the benefits of an Australian in-country study (ICS) in China programme and explores ways to maximise the short-term ICS experience in a multilingual space. The book employs an ecological perspective which has seldom been used to examine the study abroad context. It emphasises the importance of the space itself as an arena of interaction, belonging and power, where conduct and modes of communication are often regulated by political authorities and societal expectations. Specifically, the book focuses on the following:

  the extent to which the ICS facilitated interaction in different settings

  the way in which interaction during ICS contributed to language learning

  the degree in which the interaction during ICS contributed to culture learning and

  the role of identity in the learning process in the ICS.

The main argument of the book is that while the ICS promoted multilingual learning space for in-class and out-of-class interactions, which further facilitated language and culture learning to a great extent, Australian students identities and self-concepts also played a core mediating role throughout individual learning trajectories.

Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. Settings and Interaction Opportunities in the SA Program.- Chapter 3. Language Affordances and Emergence: Authentic Language Use in the SA Program.- Chapter 4. The Cultural, Intercultural and Symbolic Dimensions of SA.- Chapter 5. The Influence of Identity and Self-Concept on Personalised Trajectories of SA.- Chapter 6. An Ecological Approach to SA: Theoretical and Methodological Perspectives.

Peiru Tong is a lecturer in the Institute of Education Sciences, Wuhan University. She completed her Ph.D. in the Department of Chinese Studies, School of Languages and Cultures, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, lÓE