Books
Sun, Yachao & Lan, Ge. (2024). Trans-studies on Writing for English as an Additional Language. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009336659
Snow, Don, Li, Shuhan, & Zhang, Minghao. (2023). How Do You Learn a Language? Action Plans for Independent Language Learning. Nanjing University Press
Book Chapters
Sun, Yachao, Carter, Tyler J., & Hiller, Kristin E. (2024). Transdisciplinary writing teacher development in a Sino-US joint-venture university in China. In E. Ene, B. Gilliland, S. H. Lee, T. Saenkhum, & L. Seloni (Eds.), EFL writing teacher education and professional development: Voices from under-represented contexts (pp. 135–142). Multilingual Matters.
Abstract: This chapter reflects the professional development initiatives undertaken at the Language and Culture Center (LCC) at Duke Kunshan University (DKU) through a transdisciplinary lens (Matsuda, 2013, 2021). This lens was particularly pertinent, given that LCC faculty involved in teaching undergraduate English for Academic Purposes (EAP) writing, undergraduate English composition, and graduate EAP writing courses brought diverse academic backgrounds to the table, including second language (L2) writing, rhetoric and composition, creative writing, applied linguistics, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), second language acquisition (SLA), and literature. To foster a deeper understanding of EFL/L2 writing pedagogies and support writing teacher development, we facilitated open discussions on core themes within EFL/L2 writing studies, such as disciplinarity and feedback. Reflecting on these discussions revealed how adopting a transdisciplinary perspective allowed LCC faculty to exchange knowledge and insights more effectively, thus enhancing their understanding of each other’s pedagogical approaches. This, in turn, set the stage for more fruitful collaborations.
Wang-Hiles, Lan, Goodroad, Ekaterina, Zhang, Tong, & Szerdahelyi, Judith. (2023). Negotiating identity, language and power: Dialogic reflections on non-native English-speaking writing instructors in the US composition classroom. In C.-C. Lin & C. V. Bauler (Eds.), Reimagining dialogue on identity, language and power (pp. 60–74). Multilingual Matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/LIN4723
Abstract: Through collaborative autoethnography, we, four NNESWIs, explore how our identities are shaped by our individual, cultural, linguistic, and institutional backgrounds. Our multidimensional dialogic reflections and analyses reveal how the issues of language and power in U.S. higher education institutions lead us to negotiate our identities. By sharing the challenges we face and discussing the strategies to overcome them, this chapter serves a two-fold purpose: supporting and empowering the NNESWIs community and negotiating for social justice and equality for NNESWIs as valuable contributors to the U.S. classroom.
Journal Articles
Zhang, Xin & Pan, Xiaofei. Motivational dynamics of intermediate Chinese learners in a COVID-induced remote IPA-informed CSL curriculum: A case study from a CDST lens. Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics, 46(4), 518–543. https://doi.org/10.1515/CJAL-2023-0403
Abstract: Grounded in a complex and dynamic systems theory (CDST) perspective of L2 learning motivation, this year-long longitudinal study examines evolving motivational dynamics of two intermediate Chinese as a Second Language (CSL) learners at a Sino-US joint-venture university in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adopting Higgins’ framework of motivation, this case study focuses on the interplay of learner motivation for value, control, and truth effectiveness and contextual factors in shaping the contrastive motivational trajectories of two CSL learners who displayed discrepancy in the improvement of Mandarin oral proficiency. In particular, the two contextual factors of interest are an Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA) -informed CSL curriculum and COVID-induced remote online learning. We focus on how learners co-adapted with the “here-and-now” manifestations of these contextual factors and how their motivational dynamics and learning behaviors evolved based on multiple interrelated layers of the temporal-spatial context. The findings show that CSL learners’ motivational dynamics were shaped by multiple overlapping and interrelated motivations related to value, control, and truth effectiveness, which emerged out of the contingencies and affordances in the learning context. The learner-context co-adaptations play a significant role in directing relevant motivational dimensions and thereby shaping the overall identity of the whole system. This empirical study contributes to CSL and L2 motivational studies by exploring the applicability of a CDST approach and a global motivational framework to study intermediate CSL learners’ motivational dynamics and how they individually co-adapted with an innovative curricular design and the perturbance during the COVID-19 online teaching and learning process. The paper reflects on the effectiveness and applicability of IPA in an intermediate-level CSL curriculum from a motivational perspective and offers insights into understanding and promoting the complex learner motivation during COVID-19 for language educators.
Sun, Yachao. (2024). Power dynamics in translingual practices for Chinese as a Second Language writing education. Language Teaching, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444824000089
Abstract: This study explores the impact of power dynamics – represented by linguistic privilege, learning environment, and identity formation – on translingual practices in Chinese as a Second Language (CSL) writing education. It focuses on a specific case involving Chinese language learners at a Sino-US joint-venture university in China to elucidate these dynamics in a real-life context. The findings revealed how societal expectations, internalized power dynamics, and prevailing language ideologies nurtured perceptions of a diminished Chinese identity and influenced students’ language preferences and engagement in CSL writing. The article argues that the decolonization of writing education necessitates critical awareness of power dynamics and the challenges they pose to monolingual ideologies. It also proposes pedagogical strategies to incorporate power dynamics into translingual practices by emphasizing the need to embrace language diversity and fluidity, facilitate translingual identity formation, and employ reflective practices. By raising awareness of power dynamics in translingual practices, educators can empower students to confront the linguistic status quo, promote linguistic justice, and cultivate a more equitable CSL writing education.
Chiocca, Emmanuelle S. & Zhang, Xin. (2024). Distinguishing oneself: First-year international students’ pre-college motivations and expectations in a Sino-foreign joint venture university in China. Chinese Education & Society, 56(5-6), 331–349. https://doi.org/10.1080/10611932.2024.2303914
Abstract: China has shown increased engagement in International Higher Education (IHE), an interest motivated by a tremendous demand among both Chinese and international students. Conducted at a full-scale Sino-foreign joint-venture university (JVU) in China, this study seeks to explore the motivation of first-year international students for applying to and attending Sino-foreign JVU in China. A second related question investigates what they expect to experience prior to matriculation. Qualitative data collection and analyses suggest that international students at a Sino-foreign joint-venture university were motivated by a strong desire to distinguish themselves for integrative, international signaling, and instrumental purposes, and expect to change as a result of studying and living in an intercultural environment in China.
Santo-Flores, Guillermo, Ruiz-Primo, Maria Araceli, Li, Min, Zhao, Xueyu, Shade, Chelsey, & Chrzanowski, Ashley. (2024). How equally do teachers distribute their attention across students classified as English learners (ELs) and their non-EL peers in science classrooms? A frequency analysis of monolingual and bilingual teachers’ interactions with different student grouping configurations. International Multilingual Research Journal. https://doi.org/10.1080/19313152.2024.2303275
Abstract: We address the notion that different student grouping configurations in the classroom may provide different sets of opportunities for English learners (ELs) – students whose home language is not English (the language of instruction in the U.S.) – to both learn science and develop a second language through different forms of social interaction. We examined the frequency with which monolingual and bilingual (English-Spanish) teachers interacted with students working in four grouping configurations: Only ELs, Whole Class, Only Non-ELs, and Mixed (both ELs and non-ELs). We used a sample of 359 instructional episodes from 78 science lessons taught by bilingual and English-only teachers in the U.S. While we observed a considerable variation in the frequency of different classroom practices (e.g. those promoting critical thinking were less frequent than those involving factual knowledge), Whole Class was the grouping configuration most frequently observed for all classroom practices. The same frequency patterns were observed for monolingual and bilingual teachers. We argue that the low frequency of teachers’ interactions with students working in small groups limits the opportunity for ELs to learn science through different forms of social interaction and for teachers to identify and address individual EL students’ learning needs.
Zhao, Xueyu & Solano-Flores, Guillermo. (2023). Test translation review: a study on discussion processes and translation error detection in consensus-based review panels. Frontiers in Education, 8, Article 1303617. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1303617
Abstract: We examined the discussion processes through which two independent consensus-based review panels detected errors in the same sample of items from an international test translated from English to Chinese. The discussion processes were defined according to four events: (1) identifying a potential error; and (2) agreeing with, (3) disagreeing with, and (4) elaborating an opinion expressed by other panelists. We found that, while the two panels had similar error detection rates, only half of the errors detected by the two panels altogether were detected by both panels. In addition, of the errors detected by the two panels, more than half were detected by the panels through different discussion processes. No discussion process occurred substantially more frequently or less frequently for any translation error dimension. We conclude that the unique combination of backgrounds, skills, and communication styles of panel members and the unique combination of textual features in each item shape which errors each panel is capable of detecting. While panels can be highly effective in detecting errors, one single panel may not be sufficient to detect all possible errors in a given set of translated items. Consensus-based translation error review panels should not be assumed to be exchangeable.
Weng, Zhenjie. (2023). Identity position and pedagogical agency negotiation in teaching EAP writing: A case study. Language Teaching Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688231205095
Abstract: In language education, little classroom-based research has been conducted regarding novice teachers of English for academic purposes (EAP), and even less on teaching EAP at graduate level and on graduate teaching assistants (GTAs), a significant but overlooked teacher population at universities. Thus, this ethnographic case study focuses on the exploration of a GTA’s self-positioning in a graduate-level EAP composition class, with which he was unfamiliar as he taught it for the first time. Classroom field notes, audio-recordings, and interviews, in addition to supportive data, were collected and analysed through the lens of positioning and agency. The analysis of the data revealed that the teacher took up three core identity positions: a considerate teacher of English as a second language (ESL), an experienced and knowledgeable researcher, and a limited writing teacher. The findings further indicated that the possession of or the lack of knowledge on research, EAP writing, students, and genre pedagogy influenced the teacher’s agency in constructing identity positions and making pedagogical decisions. The study contributes to the limited investigation of EAP research and further explores the relationship among teacher knowledge, identity positions, and pedagogical agency. The study bears implications for the teaching of EAP writing and professional training.
Hanauer, David I., Zhang, Tong, Graham, Mark J., Adams, Sandra D., Ahumada-Santos, Yesmi Patricia, Alvey, Richard M., Antunes, Mauricio S., Ayuk, Mary A., Báez-Flores, Maria Elena, Bancroft, Christa A., Bates, Tonya C., Bechman, Meghan J., Behr, Elizabeth, Beyer, Andrea R., Bortz, Rebecca L., Bowder, Dane M., Briggs, Laura A., Brown-Kennerly, Victoria, Buckholt, Michael A., … Sivanathan, Viknesh. (2023). Models of classroom assessment for course-based research experiences. Frontiers in Education, Article 1279921. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1279921
Abstract: Course-based research pedagogy involves positioning students as contributors to authentic research projects as part of an engaging educational experience that promotes their learning and persistence in science. To develop a model for assessing and grading students engaged in this type of learning experience, the assessment aims and practices of a community of experienced course-based research instructors were collected and analyzed. This approach defines four aims of course-based research assessment—(1) Assessing Laboratory Work and Scientific Thinking; (2) Evaluating Mastery of Concepts, Quantitative Thinking and Skills; (3) Appraising Forms of Scientific Communication; and (4) Metacognition of Learning—along with a set of practices for each aim. These aims and practices of assessment were then integrated with previously developed models of course-based research instruction to reveal an assessment program in which instructors provide extensive feedback to support productive student engagement in research while grading those aspects of research that are necessary for the student to succeed. Assessment conducted in this way delicately balances the need to facilitate students’ ongoing research with the requirement of a final grade without undercutting the important aims of a CRE education.
Carter, Tyler J. (2023). Apples and Oranges: Toward a Comparative Rhetoric of Writing Instruction and Research in the United States. College English, 85(5), 387–414. https://doi.org/10.58680/ce202332559
Chen, Mengtian. (2023). Leveraging affordances in an ecological stance: Reflective language teaching for professional development during COVID-19. Heliyon, 9, Article e15981. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15981
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has made a prominent impact of social contexts on teachers’ professional development in remote classroom teaching. To explore how the change has altered human-environment relationships in university language classes, this qualitative case study investigated three teachers’ progressive reflection on their use of affordances for teaching Chinese as a second language (L2) during COVID-19. Under the framework of human ecological language pedagogy, three themes of emergency remote teaching emerged from monthly semi-structured interviews about the three teachers’ reflective practice in remote classrooms: computer-dominant teaching conditions, flexible classroom interaction, and rational social empathy in L2 education. The findings suggest the importance of a growth mindset for L2 teachers to leverage their teaching abilities and environmental resources for continuing professional development during COVID-19 and post-pandemic periods.
Ji, Wenting. (2023). Her Feet Hurt: Female Body and Pain in Chen Duansheng’s Zaisheng yuan (Destiny of Rebirth). CHINOPERL: Journal of Chinese Oral and Performing Literature, 42(1), 28–65. https://doi.org/10.1353/cop.2023.a898380
Abstract: This paper investigates the female writer Chen Duansheng’s tanci fiction Zaisheng yuan, a story centered on a cross-dressed female protagonist. Evoking storytelling and stage performance, tanci fiction is a lengthy, rhymed narrative genre favored by female writers in the early modern Jiangnan region. This paper approaches Zaisheng yuan from the perspectives of gender and the senses to examine its representations of the female foot and pain. Zaisheng yuan repeatedly associates pain with the female practice of footbinding and spotlights the bound foot to address the female characters’ distress and identity crisis. While the haptic-oriented descriptions of female feet speak to the gender stereotypes, through depicting both passive and active revealing of female feet, Zaisheng yuan demonstrates the emerging possibilities of female agency. In contrast to the male literary tradition, which treats the female body as a static spectacle, Zaisheng yuan endeavors to portray bound feet as an ongoing experience that causes pain from daily movements and calls for sympathetic audiences and mutual support from the female community. However, there are also times when the experience of pain, physical and especially psychological, cannot be shared, not only between genders but also between mothers and daughters, and this may indeed create obstacles to female companionship. To sum up, pain caused by bound feet provides a framework to shape the way women experienced the world, identified themselves, and interpreted the possibilities and limitations of their ways of living in early modern Chinese society.
