Chinese Learners and Pacific Languages: Online Journeys in NZ during COVID-19
Saved in:
| Title: | Chinese Learners and Pacific Languages: Online Journeys in NZ during COVID-19 |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Lin Fu (ORCID |
| Source: | Journal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning. 2025 29(1):92-108. |
| Availability: | FLANZ: Flexible Learning Association of New Zealand. PO Box 391, Blenheim 7240, New Zealand. Web site: https://www.jofdl.nz/index.php/JOFDL/index |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 17 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Asians, Foreign Students, Study Abroad, Student Attitudes, Online Courses, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Foreign Countries, Educational Experience, Comparative Analysis, In Person Learning, Teaching Methods, Cultural Differences, COVID-19, Pandemics, Barriers, Intercultural Communication, Malayo Polynesian Languages, Indonesian Languages, College Students |
| Geographic Terms: | New Zealand, China |
| ISSN: | 1179-7665 1179-7673 |
| Abstract: | This article reports on research that examined the unique experiences of Chinese international students learning Pacific languages at the University of Auckland. In response to COVID-19 border restrictions between 2020 and 2021, the university transitioned classes into online delivery. This study explores the question: how do online Pacific language learning experiences of Chinese international students compare with in face-to-face classroom settings? Drawing on my own critical auto-ethnographic reflections and an interview with a Chinese international student who studied a Pacific language in this setting, this article argues that the lack of interactions in the online setting was the biggest challenge to their learning, posing practical barriers to building va/wa (relational space), which is integral to the effectiveness of learning in a Pacific setting. Furthermore, online learning bereft of in-person cultural exchange could potentially accentuate cultural complexity for Chinese students studying Pacific languages in Aotearoa New Zealand, as they are negotiating their Pacific language learning between learned Chinese, developing Western and being exposed to Pacific pedagogical approaches for the first time. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1480672 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This article reports on research that examined the unique experiences of Chinese international students learning Pacific languages at the University of Auckland. In response to COVID-19 border restrictions between 2020 and 2021, the university transitioned classes into online delivery. This study explores the question: how do online Pacific language learning experiences of Chinese international students compare with in face-to-face classroom settings? Drawing on my own critical auto-ethnographic reflections and an interview with a Chinese international student who studied a Pacific language in this setting, this article argues that the lack of interactions in the online setting was the biggest challenge to their learning, posing practical barriers to building va/wa (relational space), which is integral to the effectiveness of learning in a Pacific setting. Furthermore, online learning bereft of in-person cultural exchange could potentially accentuate cultural complexity for Chinese students studying Pacific languages in Aotearoa New Zealand, as they are negotiating their Pacific language learning between learned Chinese, developing Western and being exposed to Pacific pedagogical approaches for the first time. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1179-7665 1179-7673 |
