Native speakers tend to mirror the phrases and structures of interlocutors, which is known as alignment. Alignment is likely the result of an automatic process that facilitates speakers' mutual understanding as well as a strategic process influenced by social affective factors, such as the level of familiarity between interlocutors. However, the…

The study aimed to explore the evidence of first language (L1) mediation in second language (L2) word associations and the L2 learner-related factors affecting the extent of L1 mediation with the following approaches. First, different from previous research, word association tests (WATs) embraced both receptive and productive word associations in…

As China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its national strength continued to grow, enthusiasm for learning Chinese has been heating up globally. Chinese language education has gradually integrated into the education systems of more countries, becoming a significant focus of attention and study. However, despite the increasing demand…

This study examined second language (L2) learning difficulty of 13 Chinese grammatical constructions on the basis of teachers' perceptions and associated the L2 learning difficulty of Chinese grammatical constructions with teacher-perceived learner grammatical competence and with the instructional levels. A total of 77 experienced teachers were…

This article challenges the current framing of English as a dominant global language and focuses specifically on African international students' investment in Chinese language learning and the enactment of imagined identity in China. Drawing upon Darvin and Norton's theorisation of "Identity and a model of investment," we present an…

This study investigates the strategies employed by Thai learners of Chinese as a second language (L2) to comprehend metaphors, focusing on how language proficiency shapes their approach. Using a mixed-methods design, 29 participants--ranging from beginner to advanced levels--completed metaphor interpretation tasks and provided self-reports on…

As part of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a series of large-scale projects have been launched in the Arab Gulf due to its geopolitically strategic position. We examine the influence of Chinese as a third player, in addition to Arabic and English, in a UAE university educationscape together with Emirati students' attitudes towards its…

Though limited research has explored the agentic video learning of Chinese as Foreign Language/CFL learners, little research has examined Chinese video learners' agency in Dynamic Assessment (DA) and Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). This study challenges existing research that considers videos as merely supportive tools and learners as…

Despite the range of varieties of Han Chinese, Mandarin is the most widely studied variety in research on Chinese as a heritage language (CHL) around the world. To better understand the role of other varieties of Han Chinese in addition to Mandarin, this article presents a synthesis of research on the learning of Chinese varieties in formal and…

Background: Student engagement has been conceptualised and operationalised in various learning environments. However, there is currently a lack of established scales to measure student engagement in synchronous online learning. One possible reason is the existence of the conceptual and structural ambiguity regarding student engagement. Objective:…

Motivation and a positive attitude play a decisive role in learning any foreign language. This study aims to investigate the motivation behind learning Chinese language in Central Asia and Russia and to identify the main problems related to mastering this language in those countries. The study draws on an anonymous questionnaire survey involving…

Research on alphabetic reading presents conflicting findings concerning the timing of orthographic and meaning processes in reading morphologically complex words. Chinese characters offer distinct visual cues for morphemes, enabling straightforward manipulations to examine orthographic and meaning processes. Guided by the Character-Word Dual…

Word recognition is a fundamental reading skill that relies on various linguistic and cognitive abilities. While executive functions (EF) have gained attention for their importance in developing literacy skills, their interaction with domain-specific skills in facilitating reading among different learner groups remains understudied. This study…

Vocabulary is an important foundation for reading skills. Dual-route cascaded model believes that when form-sound correspondence is irregular, phonetic decoding is a necessary but not sufficient condition for word acquisition. Lexical access in syllabic scripts involves a morphological-phonetic-semantic approach, where phonological decoding is…

Some learners of Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) face difficulties learning Chinese characters (hanzi), particularly if they are from alphabetic language backgrounds such as English. Many CFL students need to develop the ability to self-regulate their learning to cope with the learning of hundreds of characters in the beginner and intermediate…