Exploring the affordances of WeChat for Chinese cultural knowledge learning among learners of Chinese in an international exchange program

Abstract

Affordance refers to the opportunity available to a learning activity. Taking affordance as a theoretical and analytical construct, this exploratory study investigates learners’ attitudes and the opportunities WeChat may provide for Chinese cultural knowledge (CCK) learning. The aim is to find out the potential new affordances and compare learners with different language levels. 24 participants were paired with native Chinese speakers and required to complete three-stage activities with the integration of WeChat. This study adopted a mix-method approach. Data were collected through questionnaires, two rounds of semi-structured interviews, chat logs, and WeChat moments. It is found that most learners were positive toward the activities and WeChat provided learners with opportunities for interaction and collaboration, for resource sharing, for knowledge internalization and construction, and for sustainable learning and friendship maintaining. The affordance of knowledge internalization and construction was mentioned with the highest frequency in the interview. The findings that distinguish this study from previous ones are: (1) the affordance for sustainable learning, and (2) differences between high-level (HL) and low-level (LL) learners. In comparison, the activities won more supports from HL learners, and HL learners’ frequency in leveraging the affordance for resource sharing and sustainable learning was also higher. Pedagogical implications and research recommendations were provided respectively in discussion and conclusion parts.

Keywords:

• M-learning
• MALL
• WeChat
• Chinese language and culture learning
• affordance

Acknowledgements

We would like to express our deep appreciation to Prof. Zhiqiang Chen and Dr. Xingwei Xiang and the reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions on the article.

Notes

1 https://interoffice2014.ctbu.edu.cn/info/1004/2737.htm

2 https://www.wjx.cn/newwjx/manage/myquestionnaires.aspx?randomt=1558430896

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Xiaoji Wang

Ms Xiaoji Wang, PhD student in the School of Languages and Cultures at the University of Queensland. As a holder of MA in English Interpretation obtained in the School of Foreign Languages at Zhejiang Gongshang University, she had been teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) in the School of International Business at Chongqing Technology and Business University from 2015 to 2020. Her research interests include computer assisted language learning (CALL), mobile learning ( M-learning), and second language acquisition (SLA).

Wenying Jiang

Dr. Wenying Jiang is a Senior Lecturer of Chinese and the Chinese major convenor at the University of Queensland in Australia. She previously taught at the University of Alberta in Canada and The University of Western Australia in Perth. She is a specialist in Applied Linguistics, a graduate of Qufu Normal University (BA 1988, MA 1998) in China, University of Luton (MA 2001) in UK, and The University of Queensland (PhD 2006) in Australia. She taught English at Taishan Medical University in China for more than ten years before switching to teaching Chinese as a foreign language in English-speaking countries such as the UK, Canada and Australia. She has been publishing regularly in the fields of second language acquisition, language teaching and learning, and computer assisted language learning (CALL) since 1992. Her research interests include second language acquisition, Chinese pedagogy and intercultural communication.