Being Chinese or Being Different: Chinese Undergraduates’ Use of Discourses of Chineseness

Abstract

Myths about "the Chinese learner" developed from an outsider perspective abound in the Western world. The focus of this article, however, is how discourses of Chineseness were used by the Chinese international students themselves who, as undergraduate students in a New Zealand university, were the subjects of my doctoral research. It examines the students' notions of Chineseness and how these served in explaining their own narratives, either through identifying with, or distancing themselves from, "Chinese" traits, indicating alternatively a shared experience of the challenges of the new academic culture, or marking themselves out as having a special ability to thrive within it. Whichever way they used them, the discourses seemed to serve a purpose of fortifying their sense of identity and membership. By the end of their study, they were able to reflect carefully on their experiences and discuss new third space identities in which both Chinese and New Zealand values were forging new realities for them.

Limiting professional trajectories: a dual narrative study in Chinese language education

“…Community of Practice importantly recognises that learning occurs in social relationships, 'concerns the whole person acting in the world' (Lave and Wenger 1991: 49), and considers what kind of community provides a context conducive to learning and change for individual members. Skyrme (2014), for example, has used Wenger's (1998) notions of community to analyse the experience of Chinese undergraduates studying in New Zealand, noting that the process of achieving membership of a community of practice must involve the construction of identities.…”

Identifying and Contextualising the Key Issues

“…Indeed, teachers' lack of awareness of the value of students' multilingual repertoires contributing to pedagogical practice is not limited to the field of Chinese language education (see, for exampleFaneca et al, 2016). A growing number of studies have focused on students' experiences and identities in their intercultural encounters, for example students studying abroad (e.g.,Jackson, 2014;Skyrme, 2014) Danison (2013). has pointed out that learners' linguistic and family backgrounds influenced their study culture in their language learning.Duff et al.…”