Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

“I Told Them I Want to Speak Chinese!” The Struggle of UK Students to Negotiate Language Identities While Studying Chinese in China

Jin, Tinghe; O’Regan, John P.

“I Told Them I Want to Speak Chinese!” The Struggle of UK Students to Negotiate Language Identities While Studying Chinese in China Thumbnail


Authors

John P. O’Regan



Abstract

This article leverages interview data from students of Chinese who enrolled at a UK university but pursued a period of study abroad in China, aiming to delve into their negotiation of language identities during their overseas experience. By employing Block’s structural model in our discourse analysis, this research reveals the dynamic interplay between agency and structure, shedding light on the intricate process of language learning and identity formation. The findings underscore that structural contexts are integral to shaping students’ agency, highlighting specific structural spheres that pose challenges to their development of Chinese language and multilingual identities. These spheres encompass the linguistic and cultural dominance of English as well as Chinese hospitality practices. Rooted in their habitus, participants’ preconceived notions of the Chinese language and cultural aspects influence their journey, yielding either positive or negative impacts. Furthermore, participants’ backgrounds and prior language learning experiences significantly contribute to their identity development. In advocating for a comprehensive approach, this study emphasises the integration of both agency and structural contexts as necessary to fully comprehend the intricate process of identity development.

Citation

Jin, T., & O’Regan, J. P. (2024). “I Told Them I Want to Speak Chinese!” The Struggle of UK Students to Negotiate Language Identities While Studying Chinese in China. British Journal of Educational Studies, 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1080/00071005.2024.2309608

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jan 29, 2024
Online Publication Date Feb 29, 2024
Publication Date Feb 29, 2024
Deposit Date May 29, 2024
Publicly Available Date May 29, 2024
Journal British Journal of Educational Studies
Print ISSN 0007-1005
Electronic ISSN 1467-8527
Publisher Taylor and Francis Group
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Pages 1-28
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/00071005.2024.2309608
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2467007

Files

Published Journal Article (Advanced Online Version) (832 Kb)
PDF

Licence
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Copyright Statement
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.





You might also like



Downloadable Citations