The Challenge Of College Level Chinese Students Academic Writing In English

Chinese students are the largest international student group in UK universities today, yet little is known about their undergraduate writing and the challenges they face. Drawing on the British Academic Written English corpus - a large corpus of proficient undergraduate student writing collected in the UK in the early 2000s - this study explores Chinese students’ written assignments in English in a range of university disciplines, contrasting these with assignments from British students. The study is supplemented by questionnaire and interview datasets with discipline lecturers, writing tutors and students, and provides a comprehensive picture of the Chinese student writer today. Theoretically framed through work within academic literacies and lexical priming, the author seeks to explore what we know about Chinese students’ writing and to extend these findings to undergraduate writing more generally. In a globalized educational environment, it is important for educators to understand differences in writing styles across the student body, and to move from the widespread deficit model of student writing towards a descriptive model which embraces different ways of achieving success. Chinese Students’ Writing in English will be of value to researchers, EAP tutors, and university lecturers teaching Chinese students in the UK, China, and other English or Chinese-speaking countries.

This is a really useful and comprehensive guide for Chinese students about the essential academic skills needed for successful study in higher education in the UK. It covers all skill areas as well as general information for Chinese students new to the UK academic environment.′ - Julie Watson, Principal Teaching Fellow in e-Learning and Head of eLanguages, University of Southampton Leaving China to study in the UK for the first time can be a daunting experience. You will be entering a new country and education system with its own culture, customs and values, some of which will be totally different from those back home. You will need to acquaint yourself with these differences to achieve your goals while studying in the UK and make the most of your stay. You may be finding it difficult to find this information, you may even be feeling anxious about the move or struggling to fit into your new environment. Help is at hand! This easy-to-read book is designed to be your companion throughout your university studies in the UK, providing practical information and skills and strategies for success. This guide: Introduces you to many life skills needed to support your studies in the UK, such as food, socialising and local amenities Contains information regarding UK assessment, lectures, seminars, campus life and support available from faculty Covers language and comprehension skills to help you communicate in your work and in the classroom with peers Explains the main differences between Eastern and Western thinking and culture Includes research skills and strategies for dissertations, essays and exams. Other useful features: Xiangping has included study tips in Chinese to help you fully understand each chapter Key words in each chapter are also provided in Chinese, alongside a test on the topic Hear from other Chinese students about their own experiences studying in the UK. This essential guide will help you to flourish in your UK studies and enjoy yourself along the way! The Student Success series are essential guides for students of all levels. From how to think critically and write great essays to planning your dream career, the Student Success series helps you study smarter and get the best from your time at university. Visit the SAGE Study Skills hub for tips and resources for study success!

Chinese students are the largest international student group in UK universities today, yet little is known about their undergraduate writing and the challenges they face. Drawing on the British Academic Written English corpus - a large corpus of proficient undergraduate student writing collected in the UK in the early 2000s - this study explores Chinese students’ written assignments in English in a range of university disciplines, contrasting these with assignments from British students. The study is supplemented by questionnaire and interview datasets with discipline lecturers, writing tutors and students, and provides a comprehensive picture of the Chinese student writer today. Theoretically framed through work within academic literacies and lexical priming, the author seeks to explore what we know about Chinese students’ writing and to extend these findings to undergraduate writing more generally. In a globalized educational environment, it is important for educators to understand differences in writing styles across the student body, and to move from the widespread deficit model of student writing towards a descriptive model which embraces different ways of achieving success. Chinese Students’ Writing in English will be of value to researchers, EAP tutors, and university lecturers teaching Chinese students in the UK, China, and other English or Chinese-speaking countries.

"This book encourages further conversation on the expanding circle in World Englishes, offering a detailed look at "China English" through the academic writing of Chinese students at a British university. The volume seeks to blur the simplistic binary of "Chinglish," a broad term often understood to encompass grammatical or lexical errors or seemingly "unnatural" expressions, and "China English," which the authors articulate here as its own variety, as evidenced in language use marked by predictability. The research framework begins with analyzing student essays in one program at the University of Manchester, predominantly made up of Chinese students. In highlighting recurring features and supported by online surveys of the students, the authors demonstrate how "China English" displays the systematicity in grammar and lexis observed in varieties of English. In focusing on academic writing, a genre which bears prominence in assessment, the book raises key questions about implications for teaching, what is considered appropriate language, and whether, rather than seeking to replace "standard English," the notion of what is "standard" might be broadened to encompass other varieties. The book further promotes implications beyond pedagogies, to include learning more broadly, marking, curriculum/policy, training and identity negotiation. This book will be of interest to students and scholars in language and education, World Englishes, sociolinguistics, and applied linguistics"--

This dissertation examines how the transmission of language ideologies on a US campus shapes Chinese international students' experiences regarding English academic writing. The study is motivated by past research that demonstrates the challenges of mastering English academic writing, particularly for people who did not speak English early in life. Given that socially shared conceptions of what constitutes "good" academic writing are institutional and societal, I apply the theoretical framework of language ideologies, which stresses that language-related attitudes mediate social action, reify preexisting social hierarchies, and obtain at different levels of social organization. Operationalizing language ideologies into three main strands-aggressive monolingualism, progressive multilingualism, and economic pragmatism-I track individuals' language-ideological alignments in addition to larger institutional language-ideological alignments; I apply a novel methodology combining social-network mapping with writing-focused ethnographic interviews. Based on interviews with 14 Chinese international students and 17 campus community members with whom they discussed English academic writing, I show, first, that all of these individuals experienced the pull of multiple competing and conflicting language ideologies, and they could shift their language-ideological alignments dynamically in different contexts, in line with what past language-ideological scholarship has argued (e.g. Irvine & Gal, 2000; Kroskrity, 2007). Building on language-ideological theory, I demonstrate that language ideologies are cumulative: when multiple language ideologies (e.g. valuing so-called "nativelike" English first as an end in itself [aggressive monolingualism] and second as a means to achieving career success [economic pragmatism]) overlap, they become more powerful. I demonstrate that explicit language-evaluative talk among instructors, especially in officially sanctioned contexts like staff meetings, is a particularly potent influencer of people's language ideologies. Further, I identify that language-ideological silence-when individuals, especially instructors, leave their language-evaluative criteria unspoken-leaves the door open for aggressively monolingual language ideologies to take root as the tacit norm of US universities. Based on these findings, I argue for further language-ideological research to apply a social-network-focused approach within a wider range of communities, developing a clearer picture of how language ideologies shape multilingual people's experiences with English academic writing. Additionally, I offer recommendations for stakeholders in educational contexts, especially advocating for all university stakeholders who interact with multilingual students to develop explicit and justified language-evaluative criteria to share with their students. Overall, this dissertation argues for a deeper awareness of how university stakeholders'-especially instructors'-attitudes toward multilingual people's Englishes can shape their experiences in college.

Dr. Wu Dan’s Introducing Writing Across the Curriculum into China is an important and provocative research study that is broadly international in scope. Of particular significance for education in China, this book provides a historical analysis of writing instruction in China and an original application of activity theory used to analyze problems and possibilities for Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) in higher education. Through an examination of important aspects of WAC as it has developed in the United States, Dr. Wu Dan brings together various perspectives in support of developing and sustaining WAC programs in China and by analogy throughout the world. Her work opens new avenues for research in writing and for the teaching of courses throughout the curriculum using a writing-in-the-disciplines approach. A major contribution to international WAC scholarship, Introducing Writing Across the Curriculum into China will be invaluable to English faculty and to all readers interested in educational innovations in China.

This book offers up-to-date insights into the long-standing controversy of whether or not Chinese learners of English adequately express their attitudes in written English. It compares four writing datasets from three groups of student writers (e.g., English-speaking students’ English texts, Chinese-speaking students’ Chinese texts, and both English and Chinese texts produced by the same group of Chinese-speaking students majoring in English), and applies the appraisal framework, an analytical tool developed in the field of Systemic Functional Linguistics. The book provides a nuanced view of the deployment of attitudinal patterns and the linguistic resources used for attitudinal evaluation in Chinese students’ English writing. Accordingly, it offers a valuable resource for all those interested in second language writing, contrastive rhetoric, second language acquisition and systemic functional linguistics.

In this book, Jennifer Jenkins, one of the leading proponents of English as a Lingua Franca, explores current academic English language policy in higher education around the world. Universities around the world are increasingly presenting themselves as "international" but their English language policies do not necessarily reflect this, even as the diversity of their student bodies grows. While there have been a number of attempts to explore the implications of this diversity from a cultural perspective, little has been said from the linguistic point of view, and in particular, about the implications for what kind(s) of English are appropriate for English lingua franca communication in international higher education. Throughout the book Jenkins considers the policies of English language universities in terms of the language attitudes and ideologies of university management and staff globally, and of international students in a UK setting. The book concludes by considering the implications for current policies and practices, and what is needed in order for universities to bring themselves in line linguistically with the international status they claim. English as a Lingua Franca in the International University is an essential read for researchers and postgraduate students working in the areas of Global Englishes, English as a Lingua Franca and English for Academic Purposes.

The book inquires into critical thinking through a cultural approach. Based on an ethnographic study, it compares Chinese postgraduate students’ conceptualisations and applications of critical thinking in three different settings in China and the UK. From an insider’s perspective, it analyses the intricate interplay of multiple cultural and individual factors that conditions students’ critical thinking development as they learn to write an academic thesis and to manage postgraduate learning. The book offers insights into the nature of problems that Chinese students encounter with critical thinking and envisions possibilities for the ideas for critical thinking to have a transformative power in an intercultural space. The book will primarily be of interest to academics and educators who work on critical thinking and academic writing, especially those who work with Chinese students. Scholars interested in intercultural issues in higher education may also find it relevant.