An action research on teaching in multicultural classrooms at joint-venture universities in China

Ergenç, Ceren

doi:10.1080/02188791.2020.1788506

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…To date, no research has been dedicated specifically to determining the qualities that characterize students' ideal EAP instructor in a JVU setting. Research on JVUs in China has tended to focus on the historical/political factors behind them (see Ennew & Yang, 2009) or on issues regarding the teaching and learning processes involved in integrating international (i.e., non-Chinese) students into a Chinese setting (see Ergenc, 2020). Oddly enough, then, literature specifically related to the present study tends to deal more with Chinese public universities than with JVUs.…”

Section: Literature Review 21 Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Criteria for Selecting Instructors of English for Academic Purposes Courses: What Do Students Look for?

Harper

2021

JELTL

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<em>Seeking to provide insight into the role that English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses play in China’s growing number of joint-venture universities (JVUs), this article reports on a study of the factors that motivate students’ selection of instructors for such courses. The study reports on three stages of the investigation: (1) a preliminary, online tapping of learners’ motives in EAP instructor selection, (2) a survey, based on the findings of Stage 1, in which past EAP students ranked qualities most and least desired of EAP instructors, (3) focus-group discussions (FGDs), based on the survey of Stage 2, in which past EAP students commented on the qualities that they most and least desired of EAP instructors. Survey results are grouped into the top three, bottom three, and middle three; survey results are analyzed in light of FGDs, with discrepancies between the two being acknowledged and interpreted. Three overarching pedagogical implications are presented: (1) the need of a sense of community in EAP courses, (2) the need of transparency in EAP courses, and (3) the perception of EAP instructors as first and foremost classroom teachers. Limitations of the study are duly noted.</em>

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Section: Literature Review 21 Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Criteria for Selecting Instructors of English for Academic Purposes Courses: What Do Students Look for?

Harper

2021

JELTL

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“…In the 2020–2021 academic year, to determine sources of Chinese student verbal passivity in International Political Economy , informal chats were held with some colleagues and students. Per the chats, student reticence was due at least in part to limited English proficiency and student shyness in some cases, especially as Chinese students are typically socialized into classroom cultures wherein they are neither expected to question instructors nor engage with learning materials critically (Ergenc, 2020, 4). Also, absence or limited opportunities for student verbal interactivity have been highlighted in education literature as a contributor to oral reticence in the classroom (e.g., Lee and Ng, 2010).…”

Section: Challenges Experienced and Mitigation Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, most of the above-mentioned studies on interactive designs in political science were conducted in Western institutions with liberal social constructivist pedagogic cultures which encourage active speech in the classroom. Chinese and other Asian cultures of teaching and learning are more teacher-centred (Jin & Cortazzi, 2006, 10–11; Ergenc, 2020, 4; Pham, 2022, 1–2), implying possible clashes in teaching and learning cultures in Chinese transnational education institutions which encourage active pedagogies but are diverse communities bringing together teachers and students from diverse pedagogic backgrounds. While transnational higher education in China has many benefits as shown in the next section with reference to XJTLU’s own specific context where this study was done, navigating language and learning culture differences to achieve interactivity in diverse but largely Chinese-composed classrooms is challenging.…”

Section: Theoretical Framework and Related Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…While GATT focused on trade in goods, WTO and its agreements (particularly the General Agreement on Trade in Services), established a more liberal trade order incorporating trade in services and intellectual property, and accelerating globalization and internationalization in various sectors including higher education (Ziguras, 2003, 90; Altbach & Knight, 2007, 291). Since becoming a WTO member in 2001, China has opened-up its higher education space (Chen, 2011, 81; Ergenc, 2020, 2), allowing the creation and operation of Sino-foreign cooperative universities within its territory. In 2006, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) became the third transnational university to start operating in China, following the University of Nottingham Ningbo China in 2004 and the Beijing Normal University – Hong Kong Baptist University United International College in 2005; by 2017, the number of transnational universities in China had risen to 9 (Xiao, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Benefits and Challenges of Transnational Education: Reflections From a Sino-British Joint Venture University

Ma’abo

2023

International Journal of Chinese Education

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Since the turn of the 21st Century, the higher education sector has witnessed a proliferation of transnational education arrangements, including joint venture universities. Concurrently, there has been a surge in published literature on transnational higher education. While the current literature on transnational education explores various issues including with respect to regulation, management, quality assurance, and impact, there is a deficit of lived accounts of the benefits and challenges of transnational education from teacher perspectives and pedagogic tools used to deal with language and learning culture differences in transnational education settings. Based on the author’s own experience in a Sino-British joint venture university in China, this paper draws on in-class observations, reviews of seminar recordings, informal conversations with students, and anecdotal reflections to highlight the potential of using student audio podcasts to mitigate oral reticence and increase interactions in lectures and seminars.

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“…Additionally, classroom innovations have revealed a focus on learner needs. Ergenc (2020), recognizing that some of his Chinese learners feared speaking out in class, implemented a peer-group format in which local students were mixed with international students for the purpose of small-group discussions. The result was that the Chinese students began to participate more freely and that Chinese and international students began to work cohesively to fulfill learning goals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

EAP Courses in Joint-Venture Institutions: A Needs Analysis Based on Learner Perceptions

Harper

Sun

2022

ijeltal

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With the increase in English medium instruction (EMI) in non-English-speaking countries, the role of EAP in preparing learners for the academic tasks that they will face is enhanced. Joint-venture universities (JVUs), institutions formed in collaboration between foreign universities and universities in the host country, pose even greater challenges for EAP programs. Learners in JVUs are expected to meet the requirements of the collaborating institution while simultaneously developing skills in an additional language. Critical to the success of EAP programs in JVUs, then, is the careful analysis of learners’ needs and wants. The present study aims to provide insights into the needs and wants of EAP students at a China-based JVU by focusing on the perceptions of learners who have completed their EAP studies. Data were obtained through a narrative research method based on semi-structured interviews with 16 former EAP students and compared with stated program goals in an effort to discover areas in which students’ perceptions aligned or did not align with program goals. The paper presents cases of alignment and cases of mismatches. An analysis of the mismatches leads to the following pedagogical implications for EMI programs in JVUs: (1) Programs may better cater to learners’ interests by implementing a semi-negotiated curriculum; (2) programs may better cater to learners’ discipline-specific needs by providing broad writing topics for learners to refine in accordance with their particular disciplines; (3) programs may better promote the integration of EAP students and international students by consciously providing the initial “push” toward integration

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An action research on teaching in multicultural classrooms at joint-venture universities in China

Cited by 12 publications

References 19 publications

Criteria for Selecting Instructors of English for Academic Purposes Courses: What Do Students Look for?

Criteria for Selecting Instructors of English for Academic Purposes Courses: What Do Students Look for?

Benefits and Challenges of Transnational Education: Reflections From a Sino-British Joint Venture University

EAP Courses in Joint-Venture Institutions: A Needs Analysis Based on Learner Perceptions

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