Cover not available
Article published In:
Chinese as a Second Language (漢語教學研究—美國中文教師學會學報)
Vol. 53:3 (2018) ► pp.257–294

A qualitative inquiry of video learning by Chinese L2 learners

Learning internalization, understanding social realities, and reflecting on challenges

| University of Minnesota
| University of Rochester

Previous research in Chinese L2 learning has shown that video learning is an effective way to engage students, especially for learning social realities such as cultural values (e.g., dating practices). Chinese L2 learners commonly have experience with learning social realities from videos, including textbook videos, television dramas, music clips and talk shows Using the lens of internalization, this qualitative study provides a detailed interpretation of what video offered its Chinese L2 participants and what challenges the participants experienced learning about social realities. This article discusses three focused cases with 12 interviews, 30 observations, 3 clip-elicitation conversations, and documents (including memos and field notes). Use of a three-phase Constant Comparative Method (CCM) revealed that the learning processes of Chinese L2 learners displayed similarities and differences. Participants had distinctive trajectories in their learning of social realities. Implications for Chinese L2 research and education are discussed.

Keywords: qualitative, videos, social realities, internalization
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Theoretical framework
  • 3.Literature review
  • 4.Methods
    • 4.1Research context
    • 4.2Sampling strategies
    • 4.3Participants
      • Annie
      • Cat
      • Amanda
    • 4.4Data collection methods
      • Interviews
      • Participatory observation
      • Clip-elicitation conversation
      • Documents
    • 4.5Constant comparative method in data analysis
      • Initial coding
      • Focused coding
      • Axial coding
      • Memo writing
  • 5.Findings
    • 5.1Benefits
    • 5.2Challenges
  • 6.Discussion
    • 6.1Benefits
    • 6.2Challenges
  • 7.Implications
    • 7.1Theoretical implications
    • 7.2Pedagogical implications
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 26 April 2019
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/csl.18004.hua
References
ACTFL
(2016) Program of the ACTFL Annual Convention and World Languages Expo. Retrieved from: [URL]
Bahrani, T.
(2014) An overview on the effectiveness of watching cartoons as authentic language input for language learning development. International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World, 5 (2), 550–556.Google Scholar
Bai, R.
(2014) Staging corruption: Chinese television and politics. Vancouver, Canada: UBC Press.Google Scholar
Belz, J. A.
(2002) Social dimensions of telecollaborative foreign language study. Language Learning & Technology, 6 (1), 60–81.Google Scholar
Berger, P. L., & Luckmann, T.
(1991) The social construction of reality: A treatise in the sociology of knowledge (No. 10). UK, London: Penguin Books.Google Scholar
Berk, R. A.
(2009) Multimedia teaching with video clips: TV, movies, YouTube, and MTVU in the college classroom. International Journal of Technology in Teaching and Learning, 5 (1), 1–21.Google Scholar
Bettinson, G.
(2013) Journey to the West: Chinese movies in the global market. Asian Cinema, 24 (2), 259–270. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Blake, R.
(2005) Bimodal CMC: The glue of language learning at a distance. CALICO Journal, 22 (3), 497–511. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Blumer, H.
(1954) What is wrong with social theory? American Sociological Review, 3–10. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Boeije, H.
(2002) A purposeful approach to the constant comparative method in the analysis of qualitative interviews. Quality & Quantity, 36 (4), 391–409.Google Scholar
Bourke, B.
(1997) Maximising efficiency in the kanji learning task (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). The University of Queensland, Brisbane.Google Scholar
Bueno, K.
(2006) Stepping out of the comfort zone: Profiles of third-year Spanish students’ attempts to develop their speaking skills. Foreign Language Annals, 39 1, 451–470. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bueno, K. A.
(2009) Got film? Is it a readily accessible window to the target language and culture for your students? Foreign Language Annals, 42 (2), 318–339. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bush, M.
(2000) Digital versatile disc (DVD): The new medium for interactive video. CALICO Journal, 17 (3), 453–474. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cai, S.
(2016) Television drama in contemporary China: Political, social and cultural phenomena (Vol. 159 1). New York, NY: Taylor & Francis. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cai, S. & Zhu, W.
(2012) The impact of an online learning community project on university Chinese as a foreign language students’ motivation. Foreign Language Annals, 45 (3), 307–329. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Charmaz, K.
(2006) Constructing grounded theory. London, England: Sage.Google Scholar
(2014) Constructing grounded theory (2nd Ed.). London, England: Sage.Google Scholar
Choi, J., & Yi, Y.
(2012) The use and role of pop culture in heritage language learning: A study of advanced learners of Korean. Foreign Language Annals, 45 (1), 110–129.Google Scholar
Creswell, J. W.
(2013) Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.Google Scholar
Curry, M. J.
(1999) Media literacy for English language learners: A semiotic approach. Literacy and Numeracy Studies, 9 (2), 29–46.Google Scholar
Donato, R.
(2000) Sociocultural contributions to understanding the foreign and second language classroom. In J. P. Lantolf (Ed.), Sociocultural theory and second language learning (pp. 27–50). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Dubreil, S.
(2006) Gaining perspective on culture through CALL. In L. Ducate & N. Arnold (Eds.), Calling on CALL: From theory and research to new direction in foreign language teaching (pp. 237–268). San Marcos, TX: CALICO Monograph Series.Google Scholar
Fram, S. M.
(2013) The constant comparative analysis method outside of grounded theory. The Qualitative Report, 18 (1), 1–25.Google Scholar
Gass, S. M.
(2013) Second language acquisition: An introductory course. (4th ed.). New York: Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gergen, K. J.
(2009) Realities and relationships: Soundings in social construction. Cambridge, MA: Harvard university press.Google Scholar
Gilmore, A.
(2007) Authentic materials and authenticity in foreign language learning. Language Teaching, 40 (2), 97–118. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Glaser, B. G.
(2002) Grounded theory and gender relevance. Health Care for Women International, 23 (8), 786–793. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2007) Constructivist grounded theory. Historical Social Research/ Historische Sozialforschung. Supplement, No. 19, Grounded Theory Reader, 93–105.Google Scholar
Huang, Y. T.
(2012) Interactive patterns in paired discussions between Chinese heritage and Chinese foreign language learners. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from [URL]. DOI logo
Herron, C., Corrie, C., Dubreil, S., & Cole, S. P.
(2002) A classroom investigation: Can video improve intermediate-level French language students’ ability to learn about a foreign culture? Modern Language Journal, 86 1, 36–53. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ke, C., Li, Y.
(2011) Chinese as a foreign language in the US, Journal of Chinese Linguistics , 39 (1), 177–238.Google Scholar
Kroonenberg, N.
(1995) Developing communicative and thinking skills via electronic mail. TESOL Journal, 4 (2), 24–27.Google Scholar
Lam, W. S. E.
(2000) Second language literacy and the design of the self: A case study of a teenager writing on the Internet. TESOL Quarterly, 34 (3), 457–483. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2004) Second language socialization in a bilingual chat room: Global and local considerations. Language Learning and Technology, 8 (3), 44–65.Google Scholar
(2009) Multiliteracies on instant messaging in negotiating local, translocal, and transnational affiliations: A case of an adolescent immigrant. Reading Research Quarterly, 44 (4), 377–397. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lantolf, J. P.
(1994) Sociocultural theory and second language learning: Introduction to the special issue. The Modern Language Journal, 78 (4), 418–420. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2000) Sociocultural theory and second language learning. England: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Lantolf, J. P., & Appel, G.
(1994) Vygotskian approaches to second language research. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group.Google Scholar
Lantolf, J. P., & Thorne, S. L.
(2007) Sociocultural theory and second language acquisition. In. B. van Patten & J. Williams (Eds.), Theories in second language acquisition (pp. 201–224). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.Google Scholar
Lantolf, J. P., Thorne, S. L., & Poehner, M. E.
(2015) Sociocultural theory and second language development. In B. Van Patten, J. Williams (Eds.), Theories in second language acquisition: An introduction, (2nd ed., pp. 207–226). New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Liao, J.
(2010) The impact of interactive discussions on L2 Chinese composition writing (Doctoral dissertation, The University of Iowa). Retrieved from [URL]. DOI logo
Lin, C. Y., Huang, C. K., & Chen, C. H.
(2014) Barriers to the adoption of ICT in teaching Chinese as a foreign language in US universities. ReCALL, 26 (1), 100–116. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Liontas, J. I.
(1992) From the living room to the classroom: Working with authentic Spanish language videos. Hispania, 75 (5), 1315–1320. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Marshall, C., & Rossman, G.
(2011) Design qualitative research (5th Ed.). London, England: Sage.Google Scholar
Merriam, S. B.
(1998) Qualitative Research and Case Study Applications in Education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.Google Scholar
Mehan, H.
(1979) Learning lessons: Social organization in the classroom. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Saldaña, J.
(2013) The coding manual for qualitative researchers (2nd ed.) London, UK: Sage.Google Scholar
Secules, T., Herron, C., & Tomasello, M.
(1992) The effect of video context on foreign language learning, The Modern Language Journal, 76 (4), 480–490. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Seidman, I.
(2013) Interviewing as qualitative research: A guide for researchers in education and the social science. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.Google Scholar
Stake, R. E.
(1995) The art of case study research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Stempleski, S., & Tomalin, B.
(1990) Video in action: recipes for using video in language teaching. New York: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. M.
(1990) Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Swain, M.
(2000) The output hypothesis and beyond: Mediating acquisition through collaborative dialogue. In J. P. Lantolf (Eds), Sociocultural theory and second language learning (pp. 97–114). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Szeto, K. Y.
(2011) The Martial Arts Cinema of the Chinese Diaspora: Ang Lee, John Woo, and Jackie Chan in Hollywood. Carbondale, IL: SIU Press.Google Scholar
Thorne, S. L., Black, R. W., & Sykes, J. M.
(2009) Second language use, socialization, and learning in internet interest communities and online gaming. The Modern Language Journal, 93 1. 802–821. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Vygotsky, L. S.
(1978) Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
(1987) Thinking and Speech. In R. W. Rieber & A. S. Carton (Eds) The Collected Works of L. S. Vygotsky, Vol 1 1, Problems of general psychology. New York: Plenum Press.Google Scholar
Wang, W., & Kuo, N. C.
(2016) Chinese language teachers’ instructional contexts, knowledge, and challenges in teaching students with special needs. Chinese as a Second Language: The Journal of the Chinese Language Teachers Association, 51 (2), 138–163.Google Scholar
Walker, G.
(1982) Videotext – A course in intermediate to advanced Chinese. Journal of the Chinese Language Teachers Association, 17 (2), 109–122.Google Scholar
Wu, Y.
(2012) Using external text vocalization to enhance reading development among beginning level Chinese learners. Journal of the Chinese Language Teachers Association, 47 (1), 1–22.Google Scholar
(2014) Using sketch comedy skits to develop language in lower level Chinese classes. Journal of the Chinese Language Teachers Association, 49 (3), 65–85.Google Scholar
Xing, J. Z.
(2006) Teaching and learning Chinese as a foreign language: A pedagogical grammar. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.Google Scholar
Youngbauer, V. W.
(2013) Application of media literacy and cultural studies in K-12 social studies curricula. The Social Studies, 104 (5), 183–189. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Yu, L.
(2012) Integrating film narration into the lower intermediate level curriculum. Journal of the Chinese Language Teachers Association, 47 (2), 33–63.Google Scholar
Zhang, P.
(2013) Using video to promote the acquisition of advanced proficiency. Journal of Technology and Chinese Language Teaching, 4 (2), 69–85.Google Scholar
(2015) Ni wo ta: Developing Chinese fluency: An introductory course. Independence, KY: Cengage Learning.Google Scholar
Zhou, Z.
(1999) Employing feature films in Chinese studies: A pedagogical proposal. Journal of the Chinese Language Teachers Association, 34 (3), 23–28.Google Scholar
Cited by

Cited by 4 other publications

Cun, Aijuan & Ting Huang
2023. The role of visual resources in academic achievement in higher education: Chinese international students’ perspectives. Journal of Visual Literacy 42:3 ► pp. 165 ff. DOI logo
Huang, Ting
2023. Enhance sustainability and environmental protection awareness: agency in Chinese informal video learning. Language Learning in Higher Education 13:1 ► pp. 65 ff. DOI logo
Huang, Ting & Jayne C Lammers
2023. Do Students have Agency?. Language and Sociocultural Theory 9:2 DOI logo
Zhu, Junling
2023. Critical Literature Review on Teaching Chinese as a World Language in the Context of Globalization. Language and Sociocultural Theory 9:2 DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 27 march 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.