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Identifying the Linguistic Profile of Persistent Foreign Language Learning Difficulties: a Chinese Case Study

持續型外語學習困難成因之探索:母語中文人士之個案研究

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Abstract

The present case study investigated the possible source of persistent English learning difficulties of a Mandarin-speaking adult learner of English as a foreign language. The case, Jo, a sophomore student receiving over 10 years of formal English education in Taiwan, demonstrated severe learning difficulties in a compulsory English class. The present study compared his linguistic coding abilities with those of two control participants, his university peers and elementary third graders. The first comparison showed that his English phonological/orthographic awareness, vocabulary, and syntax were at the same level as or lower than the 25th percentile of his university peers. To make sure that his deficiencies in English coding were not simply the result of a developmental delay in English learning, the second comparison examined his Chinese coding ability, along with English, in relation to that of third-grade elementary school children. The second comparison revealed that Jo also scored at the lower end of the distribution formed by the third-grade children in phonological memory, phonological awareness, and vocabulary, not only in English but also in Chinese, indicating that Jo’s linguistic coding difficulties were not specific to English. These results suggest that Jo’s English learning difficulties might be a result of a more general deficit in linguistic coding, which affects both English and Chinese learning.

摘要

本個案研究旨在探討持續型外語學習困難可能形成的原因。研究對象為一名母語為中文的大學二年級學生,該生已接受超過十年的台灣正規英語教育。然而,該生於大學必修英語課堂中,仍顯露出無法克服的學習困難。本研究將此個案之語言編碼能力與兩組對照組做比較,以探討其英語學習困難之可能成因。第一組對照組為個案之大學同儕。第二組對照組為國小三年級學童。第一組比較結果顯示,此個案之英語音韻/字形覺識、英語字彙、英語語法等編碼能力皆低於或等於同儕表現的第25百分位數。為了進一步確認個案在英語編碼上的低落不只是過去英語學習落後所造成的結果,本研究進一步檢視個案的中、英編碼能力並將之與國小三年級學童做比較。第二組比較結果顯示:不論以個案的中文或英語測試,個案的音韻記憶、音韻覺識及字彙皆低於大多數的國小三年級學童,表示其編碼缺陷不僅限於英語。由此兩項結果推估,此個案的英語學習困難可能肇因於基本語言編碼的缺陷,該缺陷會同時影響其中文與英語的發展。

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Funding

Part of the study is supported by a grant from the National Science Council, now the Ministry of Science and Technology (NSC 101-2410-H-845-009-MY2).

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  1. Department of Education, University of Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan

    Fu-Hui Hsu

  2. Department of English Instruction, University of Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan

    Chieh-Fang Hu

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Hsu, FH., Hu, CF. Identifying the Linguistic Profile of Persistent Foreign Language Learning Difficulties: a Chinese Case Study. English Teaching & Learning 43, 235–254 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42321-019-00027-0

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