Language and Acculturation

Language and Acculturation
The Role of Linguistic Self-confidence in the
Acculturation Process among Chinese Visiting Scholars
Abroad
Presenter: Yuanyuan Gao
Outline
I. Literature Review
II. Significance of the Research
III. Research Design
IV. Present Work
I. Literature Review
Acculturation
 Definition
Acculturation Strategies
Cultural Learning Theory
Linguistic Self-confidence
Acculturation
• Those phenomena which result when groups of
individuals having different cultures come into
continuous first-hand contact, with subsequent changes
in the original culture patterns of either or both groups.
•
----Redfield, Linton and Herskovits, 1936
Acculturation Strategies (Berry, 1990)
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Do not wish to maintain your original culture, but desire to identify
and interact primarily with the host culture.
ASSIMILATION
Wish to hold on to the original culture and also desire to learn and
participate in the host culture.
INTEGRATION
Wish to hold on to the original culture, and avoid learning or
interacting with the host culture.
SEPARATION
Have no interest in maintaining the original culture nor learning or
interacting with the host culture.
MARGINALIZATION
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Acculturation & Foreign Language Acquisition
• Cultural Learning Theory (Ward, Bochner & Furnham,
2001)
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• Interactive model of
foreign-language
proficiency,
communication
competence, effective
intercultural interaction
and sociocultural
adaptation
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Factors Affecting Language and Culture Learning
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Personal Level:
Gender and Country of Origin
Motivational Factors
Foreign Language Confidence
Expectations
Personality and Individual
Differences
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Situational Level:
Previous Experiences
Length of Residence
Year of School
Intercultural Contact
Cultural Difference
Co-national Support
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Linguistic Self-confidence
• self-perceptions of communicative competence and concomitant
low levels of anxiety in using the second language, leads to
increased usage of, and communicative competence in, the second
language. (Noels, Pon & Clément, 1996)
• In the present study, linguistic self-confidence is measured from
two aspects:
• English language confidence + English use anxiety (Clément,
2001)
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II. Significance of the Research
• Theoretical Level:
enrich the literature of cross-cultural acculturation and
second language acquisition
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Researchers
Time
Subjects
Host Country
Noels, etc.
1996
Chinese international
students
Canada
Gardner, etc.
1990
Polish immigrants
Canada
Yang. etc.
2006
international students
Canada
Gallagher, H.
2013
Chinese international
students
Britain
Lu, etc.
2011
Chinese immigrants
Australia
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• Practical Level:
provide visiting scholars and Chinese Scholarship
Committee with advice concerning English proficiency
improvement
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III. Research Design
Research Purpose
Research Hypotheses
Methodology
Data Analysis
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Research Purpose
The present study aims to
 identify the acculturation strategy adopted by Chinese visiting
scholars overseas
examine the role of English language confidence and attitudes
towards learning English in the acculturating process of
Chinese visiting scholars into the foreign host culture.
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Research Hypotheses
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1. the overal acculturation strategy
2. the host country & psychological well-being
3. attitudes towards learning English & English self-confidence
4. English self-confidence & intercultural contact, acculturation
strategy and psychological well-being
• 5. attitudes towards learning English & intercultural contact and
• acculturation strategy
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Methodology
• Subjects
• Data Collection Instrument
• Data Analysis
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Subjects
• Chinese visiting scholars in universities and research
institutes in English-speaking countries, i.e. America,
Britain, Canada.
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Data Collection Instrument
• Questionnaire (in English and Chinese versions)
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 Demographic Information (esp. suggestions for improving English
proficiency)
 The Quan Acculturation Scale (Quan, 2010) (five-point Likert scale)
 Linguistic Self-confidence Scale (Clément, 2001) (six-point Likert scale)
 Attitudes towards learning English (Clément, 2001) (six-point Likert scale)
 Intercultural Contact Scale (Berry, 1984) (six-point Likert scale)
 Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, Emmons. Larson, & Griffin, 1985)
(six-point Likert scale)
 Accultuative Stress Index (Noh, Avison & Kasper, 1992 ) (six-point Likert
scale)
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Data Analysis
• 1. the acculturation strategy
• 2. the host country & psychological well-being
• 3. English self-confidence & attitudes towards learning
English
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4. English self-confidence &intercultural contact
5. English self-confidence & acculturation strategy
6. English self-confidence & psychological well-being
• score
summing
• Pearson
• ProductMoment
• Correlation
Coefficients
7. attitudes towards learning English & intercultural contact
8. attitudes towards learning English & acculturation
strategy
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Present Work
• 1. Questionnaire Making:
• translation, back-translation
• 2. Piloting
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Thank You!
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