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Papers by Xiangyang Zhang
Asian Association of Open Universities Journal, 2015
Over the past decades, the Internet has had a profound impact on tertiary education, with the eme... more Over the past decades, the Internet has had a profound impact on tertiary education, with the emergence of a new format of distance education. With the broadband-connected World Wide Web, students can now pursue their learning, whether formal or informal, more comfortably and effectively. Also, the rapidly emerging technologies offer academics and educational institutions much greater choice in their instructional approaches and learning environments. Micro lectures are considered to be one of the most effective modes in blended learning. This paper examines our practice of integrating micro lectures into our English for Business course, using an exploratory case study approach. The study focuses on four fields: learning content with technology; learning support services; learning management; and students' learning experiences. The findings indicate that the great majority of students were satisfied with micro lecture learning, and that the flippedclassroom based on micro lectur...
Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 2014
The study employed a case study method to investigate the affective effectiveness of integrating ... more The study employed a case study method to investigate the affective effectiveness of integrating language awareness into grammar teaching in the Chinese EFL (English as a Foreign Language) context. In the case study, fifty-eight participants were given language awareness teaching interventions. Questionnaires and interviews were developed, and administered for data collection. The findings of the case study have showed the potentials of language pedagogy in relation to its affective effectiveness in grammar classrooms in three aspects: a) a majority of the participants showed positive changes in their attitudes toward and beliefs in learning grammar; b) a majority of the participants are found to apply more cognitive-affective grammar learning strategies; and c) a majority of the participants responded to positively integrate their learning of grammar with four language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing). To conclude, the case study has shed light on the potential of integrating language awareness into grammar pedagogy in the Chinese EFL context as well as its future development in second/foreign Language teaching and learning. Index Terms-language awareness, case study, affective effectiveness, the Chinese context EFL, integrating language awareness into grammar teaching I. INTRODUCTION Language awareness, more recently, has been enriched from a multidisciplinary perspective including applied linguistics, psychology, and learning theory. Language awareness pedagogy, thus, accommodates a diversity of definitions, interpretations and pedagogic practices (van Lier, 2001). Particularly, it is assumed and believed that language awareness as a pedagogic methodology can benefit learners from five integrative domains of language learning, namely, affective domain, cognitive domain, power domain, social domain and performance domain (James &
Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 2013
Task-based instruction has received more pedagogic attention since it was proposed in 1980s. Many... more Task-based instruction has received more pedagogic attention since it was proposed in 1980s. Many studies are found on its characteristics, procedures, and task design. Rather, little research is found to explore its applicability in big-sized classes which averagely are made of more than 50 students. The present study was undertaken to investigate viability of applying Task-based instruction into big-sized language classrooms. Preand-post written tests, oral tests, and interviews were administered for data collections. Three main findings from the case study are reported: a). the experimental group is likely to have presented significantly better learning attainments while comparing with the control group; b) the experimental group seems to have showed significantly better oral English performance than the control group; c) the experimental group tends to have presented more active and motivated learning than the control group based on data collected from individual interviews. To conclude, the present study has shed light on potentials and practicability of Task-based approach in big-sized classrooms in relation to the participants' learning attainments, oral performance and observed motivated learning motivation in the context of study English as a foreign language (EFL).
The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 2007
This paper reports the result and subsequent exploration of the pilot multi-media in-service teac... more This paper reports the result and subsequent exploration of the pilot multi-media in-service teacher training programme with BA degree (non-honour) ( English Language Education) undertaken in the past three years (2001-2004) in China’s distance education. Through the integration of low-tech and high-tech in instructing and delivering courses, many interesting findings have been unexpectedly obtained. Both the trainers (the university lectures) and trainees (in-service school teachers) have experienced a great transformation in their language teaching and learning: a). the trainees (in-service school teachers) have become more independent learners since they raised their educational level; b). the trainers (university lecturers) have learned to adjust their roles in classroom teaching: to be more learner-centred and less teacher-centred; c). acommunicative task-based approach has been satisfactorily adopted and implanted into the process of learning and teaching; d). the trainees hav...
Sustainability, 2023
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Sustainability, 2022
Regional disparities in quality education remain a sensitive issue in developing and developed co... more Regional disparities in quality education remain a sensitive issue in developing and developed countries and also in basic and higher education. The issue for the moment is especially crucial for open educational institutions regarding the stability of the open education ecosystem and the capacity for sustainable development. Our research focuses on the aspect of the quality of teaching and learning and its enhancement. In the study, we systematically explored the regional disparities of teaching and learning quality in local study centres with samples of 72 from Jiangsu Open University (JOU), China. With statistical toolkits and a typological research paradigm, we have identified the ranking of the local study centres according to holistic performance. By the clustering methods, we categorised the local study centres as belonging to four types: potentially contradictory, urgently to be reformed, less cost-effective, and normatively autonomous in terms of their basic attributes, learners’ support services, and teaching commitment. The research findings proved that the region where the study centres are located did have impacts on the quality of teaching and learning, and the scalability of student enrolment. The authors conclude and suggest that mitigation of the regional disparities in quality education will facilitate the optimisation of the local study centres in the regional education ecosystem and maintain sustainable development.
Keywords: regional disparities; local study centre; quality education; evaluation; open, flexible and distance learning; statistical analysis; education ecosystems; sustainable development
Asian Association of Open Universities Journal, 2015
Over the past decades, the Internet has had a profound impact on tertiary education, with the eme... more Over the past decades, the Internet has had a profound impact on tertiary education, with the emergence of a new format of distance education. With the broadband-connected World Wide Web, students can now pursue their learning, whether formal or informal, more comfortably and effectively. Also, the rapidly emerging technologies offer academics and educational institutions much greater choice in their instructional approaches and learning environments. Micro lectures are considered to be one of the most effective modes in blended learning. This paper examines our practice of integrating micro lectures into our English for Business course, using an exploratory case study approach. The study focuses on four fields: learning content with technology; learning support services; learning management; and students' learning experiences. The findings indicate that the great majority of students were satisfied with micro lecture learning, and that the flippedclassroom based on micro lectur...
Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 2014
The study employed a case study method to investigate the affective effectiveness of integrating ... more The study employed a case study method to investigate the affective effectiveness of integrating language awareness into grammar teaching in the Chinese EFL (English as a Foreign Language) context. In the case study, fifty-eight participants were given language awareness teaching interventions. Questionnaires and interviews were developed, and administered for data collection. The findings of the case study have showed the potentials of language pedagogy in relation to its affective effectiveness in grammar classrooms in three aspects: a) a majority of the participants showed positive changes in their attitudes toward and beliefs in learning grammar; b) a majority of the participants are found to apply more cognitive-affective grammar learning strategies; and c) a majority of the participants responded to positively integrate their learning of grammar with four language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing). To conclude, the case study has shed light on the potential of integrating language awareness into grammar pedagogy in the Chinese EFL context as well as its future development in second/foreign Language teaching and learning. Index Terms-language awareness, case study, affective effectiveness, the Chinese context EFL, integrating language awareness into grammar teaching I. INTRODUCTION Language awareness, more recently, has been enriched from a multidisciplinary perspective including applied linguistics, psychology, and learning theory. Language awareness pedagogy, thus, accommodates a diversity of definitions, interpretations and pedagogic practices (van Lier, 2001). Particularly, it is assumed and believed that language awareness as a pedagogic methodology can benefit learners from five integrative domains of language learning, namely, affective domain, cognitive domain, power domain, social domain and performance domain (James &
Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 2013
Task-based instruction has received more pedagogic attention since it was proposed in 1980s. Many... more Task-based instruction has received more pedagogic attention since it was proposed in 1980s. Many studies are found on its characteristics, procedures, and task design. Rather, little research is found to explore its applicability in big-sized classes which averagely are made of more than 50 students. The present study was undertaken to investigate viability of applying Task-based instruction into big-sized language classrooms. Preand-post written tests, oral tests, and interviews were administered for data collections. Three main findings from the case study are reported: a). the experimental group is likely to have presented significantly better learning attainments while comparing with the control group; b) the experimental group seems to have showed significantly better oral English performance than the control group; c) the experimental group tends to have presented more active and motivated learning than the control group based on data collected from individual interviews. To conclude, the present study has shed light on potentials and practicability of Task-based approach in big-sized classrooms in relation to the participants' learning attainments, oral performance and observed motivated learning motivation in the context of study English as a foreign language (EFL).
The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 2007
This paper reports the result and subsequent exploration of the pilot multi-media in-service teac... more This paper reports the result and subsequent exploration of the pilot multi-media in-service teacher training programme with BA degree (non-honour) ( English Language Education) undertaken in the past three years (2001-2004) in China’s distance education. Through the integration of low-tech and high-tech in instructing and delivering courses, many interesting findings have been unexpectedly obtained. Both the trainers (the university lectures) and trainees (in-service school teachers) have experienced a great transformation in their language teaching and learning: a). the trainees (in-service school teachers) have become more independent learners since they raised their educational level; b). the trainers (university lecturers) have learned to adjust their roles in classroom teaching: to be more learner-centred and less teacher-centred; c). acommunicative task-based approach has been satisfactorily adopted and implanted into the process of learning and teaching; d). the trainees hav...
Sustainability, 2023
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Sustainability, 2022
Regional disparities in quality education remain a sensitive issue in developing and developed co... more Regional disparities in quality education remain a sensitive issue in developing and developed countries and also in basic and higher education. The issue for the moment is especially crucial for open educational institutions regarding the stability of the open education ecosystem and the capacity for sustainable development. Our research focuses on the aspect of the quality of teaching and learning and its enhancement. In the study, we systematically explored the regional disparities of teaching and learning quality in local study centres with samples of 72 from Jiangsu Open University (JOU), China. With statistical toolkits and a typological research paradigm, we have identified the ranking of the local study centres according to holistic performance. By the clustering methods, we categorised the local study centres as belonging to four types: potentially contradictory, urgently to be reformed, less cost-effective, and normatively autonomous in terms of their basic attributes, learners’ support services, and teaching commitment. The research findings proved that the region where the study centres are located did have impacts on the quality of teaching and learning, and the scalability of student enrolment. The authors conclude and suggest that mitigation of the regional disparities in quality education will facilitate the optimisation of the local study centres in the regional education ecosystem and maintain sustainable development.
Keywords: regional disparities; local study centre; quality education; evaluation; open, flexible and distance learning; statistical analysis; education ecosystems; sustainable development