Xiaohong Wen

University of Houston | U of H, UH · Department of Modern and Classical Languages

The last two decades have witnessed a surge of interest in learning Chinese as a second language (L2 Chinese) [...]

This study examines how the Ideal self and the Ought-to self impact learning, and how future self-guides sustain L2 Chinese learning. Twenty college CFL students at three proficiency levels participated in two rounds of interviews to self-identify aspects of their motivation and motivational experience over a period of one semester. All interviews...

This study investigated the effects of different first language backgrounds on the performance of “requests” by two learner groups: 35 Chinese heritage language learners and 35 Chinese as foreign language learners from the same advanced Chinese courses. A mixed-methods approach was adopted. The heritage group outperformed their foreign language cou...

Studies on Learning and Teaching Chinese as a Second Language represents the current advances in the field. It showcases theoretically motivated empirical studies and diverse methods used for a better understanding of how Chinese language is acquired as a second or foreign language. This contributes to L2 acquisition research in general and L2 Chin...

This book brings together a broad range of curriculum and instructional designs for Chinese language teachers, both novice and veteran. The volume features theme-based curriculum and student-centered instruction. It consists of eight themes with seventeen designs/chapters written by fourteen classroom educators. All the designs have been field-test...

Interest in learning Chinese as an additional language has soared worldwide over the last ten years. Yet little is known about the learning process, and much less about what pedagogical strategies might facilitate or, otherwise, hinder it. This book thus aims to further understanding of the acquisition of Chinese as a foreign or second language. It...

This article reports on a survey sponsored and conducted by CLTA in 2012, the 50th anniversary of the association. Compared with four previous surveys published in JCLTA, the current survey elicited the largest number of respondents (N=216) with a high response rate, and yielded the largest set of data. This survey also asked many more questions (m...

提要 本文考察汉语水平和民族背景与学习态度、动机之间的关系。研究结果表明: 第一，民族背景 对动机变量和将来汉语学习都有显著的作用，唯一没起作用的是工具型动机。第二，汉语水平对主观 的策略努力有显著的作用，学生对于汉语学习任务的期望随着汉语水平的提高逐步变得合理，这在华 裔学生当中尤为突出。第三，初、中级的学生中，工具型动机是将来学习中文的最显著的预测指标，正 面的学习态度与体验对初级学生而言也是显著的预测指标，而社会氛围却是负预测指标; 在高级学生 中，语言自信心是将来汉语学习的显著预测指标。

[摘 要]本文探讨第二语言的输入、输出模式与互动性的课堂活动设计。首先从二语习得理论研 究的角度探讨语言输入与输出的关系。输入的语言信息必须被学习者所接收; 即使接收了的内容也并 不会自动变成中介语体系，而是要进一步进行分解、归类等分析性与综合性的加工处理。在语言“内化” 的基础上，学习者的中介语系统才能不断地得到重新组合并趋于目的语。最后讨论了四项教学的关键 因素: 语言输入的内容、输入方式、互动活动、对于学生表达的要求和语言形式与意义之间映射的练习设 计。

This study investigates the acquisition of the ba-construction by English-speaking learners of Chinese. Written sentences produced by CFL learners at three proficiency levels and NSs were examined. The findings show that, although some learners at the elementary level were able to produce the ba-construction, their production on average was much lo...

The book approaches the topics from the second language acquisition theory, the acquisition process, the psychological process, detailed study of the grammar of the Chinese as a second language acquisition, Chinese characters and reading learning and language learning three aspects. It also discuss the second language learners emotion, motivation r...

This study investigates attitudes and motivation that influence heritage and non-heritage students' learning of Chinese as a second language, examining the similarities and differences among three subgroups: bilingual, heritage motivated, and non-heritage learners. The study uses the socio-educational model by Gardner (1985), the internal structure...

提要 本文探讨中文作为外语教学所面临的四项挑战: 学生的多元背景与不同需求、生源发展的不稳 定性、对新师资力量培训的紧迫性及中文课程在美国初、中、高等教育中的衔接不利。本文在分析挑 战背景的基础上继而提出应对措施: 一个中心，两项重点。“一个中心”即以学生为中心，强调互动的 原则、博采众长的途径，鼓励学生的积极参与、合作学习。“两项重点”为: 培养语言使用的能力和学 习策略的使用能力。前者从情景出发，以意义协商为内容，以语言的形式为重点，把语境、功能和形 式融为一体。对后者的培养要与汉语的特征和习得过程结合起来。

本文从语言习得的角度出发，探讨了任务型教学的理念、原则和途径。以对外汉语教学为例，讨论了设计任务时要考虑的几个要素：以真实、必需的语言交流为纲；以日常生活内容为题材；以意义理解和语言运用为基础；以双向互动为方式；强调“做中学”；学习任务有明确的目的和结果。并举例说明了如何设计不同的语言环境以使语言形式、内容与功能自然地联系在一起，帮助学习者表达清楚准确，恰当得体。

The present study investigates the acquisition of the displace- ment ba-construction by non-native learners of Chinese. Written production from 90 English-speaking learners of Chinese and 20 native speakers was analyzed. The results show that participants at three proficiency levels differ significantly in their overall production of the ba-constru...

Just as the demand for Chinese language programs is growing across North America, schools are facing a shortage of trained teachers and a host of challenges. How can teachers meet the needs of a complex classroom filled with both Chinese heritage learners and those completely new to Chinese? How can Chinese teachers from diverse backgrounds adapt t...

The present study takes a linguistic and cognitive approach to examine characteristics of Chinese guanyongyu compounds. It first analyzes the features of metaphorical imageries, language/cultural specificity,and time salience. It also investigates compounds in three linguistic domains: The relationship between rhythm patterns and grammatical forms,...

The book studies nine teaching practices of language teaching experiments and makes a deep analysis of different schools of psycholinguistics thoughts. Then it seeks to combine the research results with the teaching practices, and explores the formers influence on the latters efficiency.

语言习得研究的一个主要方面是语法规则的习得。语法知识的建立分为两种 一 种是在交流时无意识形成的 另一种是能明确说出来的。本文提出教师要通过大量的有特征性的 语言输入来促使学生把语言规则提炼出来 再融入到自己的语言系统中 使之不断地趋于目的语。 这种教授语法的理念不同于传统的语法教学 有益于促进学习者中介语系统的发展 通过对语言 形式的练习来促进学习者对语言特征的注意 使语言经验概念化 学习者能创造性地运用语言。 这种语法教学是在语言交际的前提下进行的。本文以课堂活动设计实例来说明这一观点。

The present study investigates the acquisition sequences of three Chinese constructions that vary fro SVO to SOV word order. The grammatical elements include the verb complement, non-interrogative question words and ba construction. The participants were fifty CFL students at four proficiency levels in a nine-week summer intensive program at an Ame...

When acquiring a foreign language, a learner creatively uses the language to express his/her ideas as much as possible. Throughout the process, a learner is expected to and does make all types of errors. Research has shown that errors reveal learning strategies. They are usually systematic and part of the developmental process that learners will in...

Learner variables, such as motivation and affective factors, are very important in understanding holistic learning processes. Research has shown that motivation directly influences how often students use language learning strategies, how well they perform on curriculum-related tests, and how long they persevere and maintain their second language (L...

This paper contends that many of the difficulties students of Chinese have in reading comprehension are directly related to their level of understanding of Chinese language and culture, and that these difficulties could be alleviated by providing students with knowledge about the value system, social customs, formation of Chinese characters and wor...

The present study investigates the motivational factors of students who are from Asian and Asian-American backgrounds and learn Chinese at the university level in the United States. Seventy-seven students at the beginning and intermediate levels of proficiency participated in the study. The data were collected through a survey method. Factor analys...

This study investigates the acquisition of Chinese aspect markers of -le, -guo, and -zhe by English-speaking learners at the university level. The speech and written data produced by students at two different levels of proficiency were collected, compared and analyzed. The results show that English-speaking learners of Chinese acquire the perfectiv...

This paper describes a computerized listening comprehension text created using an authoring system and designed for intermediate students of Chinese as a second language. The 12 lessons, enhanced with sound, animated visuals, and feedback, guide students in using appropriate top-down and bottom-up processing strategies to improve listening comprehe...

This study investigates English speakers' interlanguage constructions using the Chinese perfective aspect and the sentence-final modal particle. The speech data produced by two different levels of learners were collected, compared and analyzed. The results show that although the surface forms of the perfective aspect -le and sentence-final le are i...

A survey of 77 Asian and Asian-American university students enrolled in first- and second-year Chinese language courses investigated the students' motivations for studying the language and their expectations of what they will gain from studying it. Results indicate two factors accounting for beginning Chinese language study: interest in cultural he...

In the research of language development and language comprehension strategies, research attempt to discover 1) what learners bring to their learning task, and 2) how they apply what they have to the new language. (Rice, 1989). In the area of L2 acquisition, one specific concern is how L2 learners move their pressing strategies from their native lan...

This study investigates the interlanguage structure of Chinese existential sentences produced by native English speakers. The canonical Chinese existential structure starts with a locative sentential topic, while English existential structure starts with a dummy subject "there". Thus, a native English-speaking learner of Chinese has to experience t...

There are two types of passive constructions in Chinese. Type I is a syntactic passive since it is derived through a transformational rule. Type II is a lexical passive. It has certain properties in common with the predicate adjectives in Chinese and in English. It is derived through a semantic function in lexical causative inchoative constructions...

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Kansas, Curriculum and Instruction, 1991. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 121-132). Photocopy.