Cover not available

Article published In: Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education
Vol. 9:2 (2024) ► pp.245–281

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload PDF
EPUB logo with download linkDownload EPUB

The complex L2 self

Chinese study abroad students’ EFL motivations through the lens of neoliberalism and Neo-Confucianism

ORCiD logo with link | University College Cork
 | University College Cork
Open Access logo
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Open Access publication of this article was funded through a Transformative Agreement with University College Cork.

Published online: 14 May 2024
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/sar.23006.car
Abstract
Set against a body of research which tends to either overlook ideological differences between Eastern and Western conceptualizations of motivation or which positions Chinese students as ideologically monolithic, this study aims to explore the dynamic interaction between neoliberal and Neo-Confucian paradigms in shaping motivation for English language learning. By incorporating primary concepts from the Neo-Confucian motivational construct and Dörnyei, Z. (2005). The psychology of the language learner: Individual differences in second language acquisition. Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar second language (L2) Motivational Self System, this study bridges the gap between Eastern and Western L2 motivational research and investigates how neoliberal/Neo-Confucian ideologies interact to influence Chinese university students’ motivations for learning English. More specifically, it explores how this develops during study abroad in Ireland. It was found that the motivational trajectories of eight participants comprised a complex synthesis of both ideologies during study abroad. Furthermore, their ought-to L2 selves and ideal L2 self imagery underwent dramatic alterations.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1Neo-Confucian and neoliberal motivational paradigms
      • 2.1.1Neo-Confucianism
      • 2.1.2Neoliberalism
    • 2.2Conceptualizing an inclusive motivational framework
    • 2.3Chinese students: Motivation and SA
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Research aims
    • 3.2Research method
    • 3.3Participants
    • 3.4Data generation and analysis
  • 4.Findings
    • 4.1Ideal L2 self: Neo-Confucian and neoliberal motivations
      • 4.1.1Neo-Confucian motivation: Self-Cultivation
      • 4.1.2Self-Improvement
      • 4.1.3Self-Transformation
      • 4.1.4Neoliberal motivation: Competitiveness
    • 4.2Ought-to L2 selves: Neo-Confucian and neoliberal perspectives
      • 4.2.1Neo-Confucian motivation: Sense of Responsibility pre-SA
      • 4.2.2Rejection of sense of responsibility before and during SA
      • 4.2.3Neoliberal motivation: English is necessary for survival
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Conclusion
  • References
References (135)
References
Acton, R., & Glasgow, P. (2015). Teacher wellbeing in neoliberal contexts: A review of the literature. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 40(8), 99–114. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
An, N., Sharp, J., & Shaw, I. (2021). Towards a Confucian geopolitics. Dialogues in Human Geography, 11(2), 218–235. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ancuta, K. (2021). B is for Baempaieo: the rise of K-vampires. Continuum, 35(2), 233–245. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Angle, S. C. (2009). Sagehood: The contemporary significance of Neo-Confucian philosophy. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Angle, S. C., & Tiwald, J. (2017). Neo-Confucianism: A philosophical introduction. Polity Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Azungah, T. (2018). Qualitative research: Deductive and inductive approaches to data analysis. Qualitative Research Journal, 18(4), 383–400. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Barrett, T., & Miyashita, H. (2016). The pervasiveness of the neoliberal agenda and linguistic instrumentalism in Japan’s English education policy “English Education Reform Plan Corresponding to Globalization.” English as an International Language Journal, 11(1), 50–69.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Baumann, C., Winzar, H., & Viengkham, D. (2019). Confucianism, discipline and competitiveness. Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bernstein, K. A., Hellmich, E. A., Katznelson, N., Shin, J., & Vinall, K. (2015). Critical perspectives on neoliberalism in second/foreign language education. L2 Journal, 7(3), 3–14. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bodycott, P. (2009). Choosing a higher education study abroad destination. Journal of Research in International Education, 8(3), 349–373. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bol, P. K. (2003). Neo-Confucianism and local society, twelfth to sixteenth century: A case study. The Song-Yuan-Ming Transition in Chinese History, 221(1), 241–283. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bolton, K., & Graddol, D. (2012). English in China today. English Today, 28(3), 3–9. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bouvier, G., & Chen, A. (2021). Women and fitness on Weibo: The neoliberalism solution to the obligations of Confucianism. Social Semiotics, 31(3), 440–465. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Carless, D., & Lam, R. (2014). Developing assessment for productive learning in Confucian-influenced settings. In C. Wyatt-Smith, V. Klenowski, & P. Colbert (Eds.), Designing assessment for quality learning (pp. 167–179). Springer. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Carolan, J. (2022). English proficiency as a performance of digital social capital: understanding how Chinese study abroad students use WeChat for the symbolic purpose of English language learning. The Journal of Chinese Sociology, 9(20), 1–31. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cascio, M. A., Lee, E., Vaudrin, N., & Freedman, D. A. (2019). A team-based approach to open coding: Considerations for creating intercoder consensus. Field Methods, 31(2), 116–130. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cawley, K. N. (2021). Korean Confucianism. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Stanford University. [URL]
Chan, M. (1991). Economic growth in Japan cultural (Neo-Confucianism) analysis. [Honors thesis, Southern Illinois University Carbondale]. OpenSIUC. [URL]
Chen, J. F., Warden, C. A., & Chang, H. T. (2005). Motivators that do not motivate: The case of Chinese EFL learners and the influence of culture on motivation. TESOL Quarterly, 39(4), 609–629. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chen, J. M. (2017). Three levels of push-pull dynamics among Chinese international students’ decision to study abroad in the Canadian context. Journal of International Students, 7(1), 113–135. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cheung, A. C. K., & Xu, L. (2015). To return or not to return: Examining the return intentions of mainland Chinese students studying at elite universities in the United States. Studies in Higher Education, 40(9), 1605–1624. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chirkov, V., Vansteenkiste, M., Tao, R., & Lynch, M. (2007). The role of self-determined motivation and goals for study abroad in the adaptation of international students. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 31(2), 199–222. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Choi, S. H. J., & Nieminen, T. A. (2013). Factors influencing the higher education of international students from Confucian East Asia. Higher Education Research & Development, 32(2), 161–173. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Coetzee-Van Rooy, S. (2006). Integrativeness: Untenable for world Englishes learners? World Englishes, 25(3–4), 437–450. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Darvin, R. (2019). L2 motivation and investment. In M. Lamb, K. Csizér, A. Henry, & S. Ryan (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of motivation for language learning (pp. 245–264). Palgrave Macmillan. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Darvin, R., & Norton, B. (2015). Identity and a model of investment in applied linguistics. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 351, 36–56. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dearnley, C. (2005). A reflection on the use of semi-structured interviews. Nurse Researcher, 13(1), 19–28. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). The general causality orientations scale: Self-determination in personality. Journal of Research in Personality, 19(2), 109–134. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dörnyei, Z. (2005). The psychology of the language learner: Individual differences in second language acquisition. Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2010). Researching motivation: From integrativeness to the ideal L2 self. In S. Hunston & D. Oakey (Eds.), Introducing applied linguistics: Concepts and skills (pp. 74–82). Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2019). Towards a better understanding of the L2 Learning Experience, the Cinderella of the L2 Motivational Self System. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 9(1), 19–30. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dörnyei, Z., & Muir, C. (2019). Creating a motivating classroom environment. In X. Gao (Ed.), Second handbook of English language teaching (pp. 719–736). Springer. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dörnyei, Z., & Ushioda, E. (Eds.). (2009). Motivation, language identity and the L2 self. Multilingual Matters. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2013). Teaching and researching: Motivation. Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Du, X. (2019). The impact of semester-abroad experiences on post-sojourn L2 motivation. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 9(1), 117–155. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Du, X., & Jackson, J. (2018). From EFL to EMI: The evolving English learning motivation of mainland Chinese students in a Hong Kong university. System, 761, 158–169. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ellis, R. (1985). Understanding second language acquisition. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ennser-Kananen, J., Escobar, C. F., & Bigelow, M. (2017). “It’s practically a must”: Neoliberal reasons for foreign language learning. International Journal of Society, Culture & Language, 5(1), 15–26.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Escobar, C. F., Ennser-Kananen, J., & Bigelow, M. (2016). Monetary and career based motives at the core of EFL programs: Problems and solutions. GIST Education and Learning Research Journal, 121, 152–173.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fan, H. (2023). Winter is coming? University teachers’ and students’ views on the value of learning English in China. Review of Education, 11(2), 1–18. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Flynn, A., Birdthistle, N., & Fang, B. (2020). Entrepreneurial intentions of immigrant Chinese students in Ireland. In P. Sinha, J. Gibb, M. Akoorie, & J. M. Scott (Eds.), Research handbook on entrepreneurship in emerging economies: A contextualized approach (pp. 223–239). Edward Elgar. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fryer, M., & Roger, P. (2018). Transformations in the L2 self: Changing motivation in a study abroad context. System, 781, 159–172. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gao, X. (2003). Changes in Chinese students’ learner strategy use after arrival in the UK: A qualitative inquiry. In D. Palfreyman & R. C. Smith (Eds.), Learner autonomy across cultures (pp. 41–57). Palgrave Macmillan. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2008). Shifting motivational discourses among mainland Chinese students in an English medium tertiary institution in Hong Kong: A longitudinal inquiry. Studies in Higher Education, 33(5), 599–614. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gardner, D. K. (2007). The four books: The basic teachings of the later Confucian tradition. Hackett Publishing.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gardner, R. C. (2001). Integrative motivation and second language acquisition. In Z. Dörnyei & R. Schmidt (Eds.), Motivation and second language acquisition (pp. 1–20). University of Hawaii Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gardner, R. C., & Lambert, W. E. (1972). Attitudes and motivation in second-language learning. Newberry House.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Girardelli, D., Kelly, S., Chen, B., Zhou, X., & Gu, T. (2020). “Learning lords” and “ink in your stomach”: Eliciting Chinese EFL students’ beliefs about classroom participation. Communication Education, 69(2), 155–175. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Golafshani, N. (2003). Understanding reliability and validity in qualitative research. The Qualitative Report, 8(4), 597–607.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gong, Y. F., Gao, X. A., Li, M., & Lai, C. (2021). Cultural adaptation challenges and strategies during study abroad: New Zealand students in China. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 34(4), 417–437. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Griner, J., & Sobol, A. (2014). Chinese students’ motivations for studying abroad. The Global Studies Journal, 7(1), 1–14. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Guo, X., & Gu, M. M. (2024). Whose English gets paid off? – Neoliberal discourses of English and ethnic minority students’ subjectivities in China. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 28(1), 65–84. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Guthman, J., & DuPuis, M. (2006). Embodying neoliberalism: Economy, culture, and the politics of fat. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 24(3), 427–448. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Harvey, D. (2005). A brief history of neoliberalism. Oxford University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Henry, A. (2010). Contexts of possibility in simultaneous language learning: Using the L2 Motivational Self System to assess the impact of global English. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural development, 31(2), 149–162. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Higgins, E. T. (1987). Self-discrepancy: A theory relating self and affect. Psychological Review, 94(3), 319–340. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hu, G. (2005). English language education in China: Policies, progress, and problems. Language Policy, 41, 5–24. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hu, X. (2022). The analysis and inspiration of implementing Confucius and Plato’s educational philosophies in the history of China and Europe. In G. Ali, I. A. Khan, & M. C. Birkök (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2022 6th International Seminar on Education, Management and Social Sciences (ISEMSS 2022) (pp. 1158–1165). Atlantis Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Huang, Y. (2008). “WHY BE MORAL?”: The Cheng brothers’ Neo-Confucian answer. Journal of Religious Ethics, 36(2), 321–353. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hwang, K., & Meyer, D. S. (2019). Relations as the aim of education in Joseon neo-Confucianism: The case of the Five Relationships. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 51(9), 936–948. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Islam, M., Lamb, M., & Chambers, G. (2013). The L2 Motivational Self System and national interest: A Pakistani perspective. System, 41(2), 231–244. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Jiang, R. (2017). The language learning motivation of Chinese postgraduate students in Ireland: From the perspectives of Neo-Confucian learning philosophy. [Doctoral dissertation, Trinity College Dublin]. Trinity’s Access to Research Archive. [URL]
Jin, L., & Cortazzi, M. (2006). Changing practices in Chinese cultures of learning. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 19(1), 5–20. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kalton, M. (1988). To become a sage: The ten diagrams on sage learning. Columbia University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Keenan, B. C. (2011). Neo-Confucian self-cultivation: Dimensions of Asian spirituality. University of Hawaii Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kim, H. T. (1977). The religious dimension of Neo-Confucianism. Philosophy East and West, 27(3), 337–348. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kim, M., Choi, D. I., & Kim, T. Y. (2019). South Korean jobseekers’ perceptions and (de)motivation to study for standardized English tests in neoliberal corporate labor markets. The Asian EFL Journal, 21(1), 84–109.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kim, T. Y., Kim, Y., & Kim, J. Y. (2017). Structural relationship between L2 learning (de)motivation, resilience, and L2 proficiency among Korean college students. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 26(6), 397–406. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Koshy, S. (2013). Neoliberal family matters. American Literary History, 25(2), 344–380. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kubota, R. (2011). Questioning linguistic instrumentalism: English, neoliberalism, and language tests in Japan. Linguistics and Education, 22(3), 248–260. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2015). Questioning language myths in English language teaching: Toward border-crossing communication. In Selected papers from the twenty-fourth international symposium on English teaching (pp. 44–57). English Teachers’ Association-Republic of China (ETA-ROC).Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kubota, R., & Takeda, Y. (2020). Language-in-education policies in Japan versus transnational workers’ voices: Two faces of neoliberal communication competence. TESOL Quarterly, 55(2), 458–485. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lamb, M. (2009). Situating the L2 self: Two Indonesian school learners of English. In Z. Dörnyei & E. Ushioda (Eds.), Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (pp. 229–247). Multilingual Matters. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lee, J. S., & Lu, Y. (2021). L2 Motivational Self System and willingness to communicate in the classroom and extramural digital contexts. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 36(1–2), 126–148. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lester, J. N., Cho, Y., & Lochmiller, C. R. (2020). Learning to do qualitative data analysis: A starting point. Human Resource Development Review, 19(1), 94–106. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Li, H., Zhong, Q., & Suen, H. K. (2012). Students’ perceptions of the impact of the college English test. Language Testing in Asia, 21, 1–18. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Li, Q. (2014). Differences in the motivation of Chinese learners of English in a foreign and second language context. System, 421, 451–461. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lin, D., Wong, K. K., & McBride-Chang, C. (2012). Reading motivation and reading comprehension in Chinese and English among bilingual students. Reading and Writing, 25(3), 717–737. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Linneberg, M. S., & Korsgaard, S. (2019). Coding qualitative data: A synthesis guiding the novice. Qualitative Research Journal, 19(3), 259–270. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lior, Y. (2018). Neo-Confucianism as a guide for contemporary Confucian education. In X. Liu & W. Ma (Eds.), Confucianism reconsidered: Insights for American and Chinese education in the twenty-first century (pp. 87–109). SUNY Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Liu, G. X. Y., & Helwig, C. C. (2020). Autonomy, social inequality, and support in Chinese urban and rural adolescents’ reasoning about the Chinese college entrance examination (Gaokao). Journal of Adolescent Research, 37(5). Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Liu, S. Y. (2021). Aesthetical meanings of the central notion Ti Ren in cultivation theory of Neo-Confucianism. Journal of Literature and Art Studies, 11(1), 71–78. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Madden, P. (2022). Ambivalent perceptions of L2 English: A case study of neoliberal globalization at an elite Chinese university. [Doctoral dissertation, University of Wisconsin-Madison]. University of Wisconsin Libraries. [URL]
Manan, S. A. (2021). ‘English is like a credit card’: The workings of neoliberal governmentality in English learning in Pakistan. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 1–17. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Markus, H., & Nurius, P. (1986). Possible selves. American Psychologist, 41(9), 954–969. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Martin, F. (2017). Mobile self-fashioning and gendered risk: Rethinking Chinese students’ motivations for overseas education. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 15(5), 706–720. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
McGuigan, J. (2014). The neoliberal self. Journal of Current Cultural Research, 6(1), 223–240. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Miller, E. R. (2015). The ideology of learner agency and the neoliberal self. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 26(3), 348–365. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Moghadam, Z. B., Narafshan, M. H., & Tajadini, M. (2021). Development of a critical self in the language reading classroom: An examination of learners’ L2 self. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 421, 1–11. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mok, K. H., & Lo, Y. W. (2007). The impacts of neo-liberalism on China’s higher education. Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies, 5(1), 316–348.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mun, J. Y. (2015). The impact of Confucianism on gender (in)equality in Asia. Georgetown Journal of Gender and the Law, 16(3).Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ngo, H. T. (2020). ‘Standing between the flows’: Interactions among neoliberalism, socialism and Confucianism in Vietnamese higher education. In P. L. Ha & D. B. Ngoc (Eds.), Higher education in market-oriented socialist Vietnam (pp. 41–61). Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ning, W. (2015). Highlighting the humanistic spirit in the age of globalization: Humanities education in China. European Review, 23(2), 273–285. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Noels, K. A. (2009). The internalisation of language learning into the self and social identity. In Z. Dörnyei & E. Ushioda (Eds.), Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (pp. 295–313). Multilingual Matters. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Noels, K. A., Pelletier, L. G., Clément, R., & Vallerand, R. J. (2000). Why are you learning a second language? Motivational orientations and self-determination theory. Language Learning, 50(1), 57–85. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Okuda, T. (2017). Language tests and neoliberalism in “global human resource” development: A case of Japanese universities. Applied Linguistics Review, 10(4), 539–559. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Olberding, A. (2013). Confucius’ complaints and the Analects’ account of the good life. Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy, 12(4), 417–440. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Parkinson, G. H. R. (2012). An encyclopedia of philosophy. Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pawlak, M. (2017). [Review of the book Motivational currents in language learning: Frameworks for focused interventions, by Z. Dörnyei, A. Henry, & C. Muir]. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 7(1), 169–173. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pratt, D. (1992). Chinese conceptions of learning and teaching: A Westerner’s attempt at understanding. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 11(4), 301–319. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Procyshyn, A., & Wenning, M. (2019). Recognition and trust: Hegel and Confucius on the normative basis of ethical life. Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy, 18(1), 1–22. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Qin, D. (2016). Positionality. In N. A. Naples, R. C. Hoogland, M. Wickramasinghe, & W. C. A. Wong (Eds.), The Wiley Blackwell encyclopedia of gender and sexuality studies (pp. 1–2). Wiley Blackwell. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Rahman, S. (2005). Orientations and motivation in English language learning: A study of Bangladeshi students at undergraduate level. Asian EFL Journal, 7(1), 29–55.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ryan, S., & Dörnyei, Z. (2013). The long-term evolution of language motivation and the L2 self. In A. Berndt (Ed.), Fremdsprachen in Der Perspektive Lebenslangen Lernens (pp. 89–100). Peter Lang. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Saldaña, J. (2014). Coding and analysis strategies. In P. Leavy (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of qualitative Research (pp. 1–45). Oxford Academic. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sarkissian, H. (2018). Neo-Confucianism, experimental philosophy and the trouble with intuitive methods. British Journal for the History of Philosophy, 26(5), 812–828. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Schmidt, C. (2004). The analysis of semi-structured interviews. In U. Flick, E. von Kardoff, & I. Steinke (Eds.), A companion to qualitative research (pp. 253–258). SAGE Publications.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Shi, L. (2006). The successors to Confucianism or a new generation? A questionnaire study on Chinese students’ culture of learning English. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 19(1), 122–147. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Statista. (2022). Number of Chinese students studying abroad 2010–2020. [URL]
Sun, Y., & Nolan, C. (2021). Emotion regulation strategies and stress in Irish college students and Chinese international college students in Ireland. Journal of International Students, 11(4), 853–873. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Taguchi, T., Magid, M., & Papi, M. (2009). The L2 Motivational Self System among Japanese, Chinese and Iranian learners of English: A comparative study. In Z. Dörnyei & E. Ushioda (Eds.), Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (pp. 66–97). Multilingual Matters. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Tu, W. M. (1971). The neo-Confucian concept of man. Philosophy East and West, 21(1), 79–87. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ushioda, E. (1996). Developing a dynamic concept of L2 motivation. In T. Hickey & J. Williams (Eds.), Language, education and society in a changing world (pp. 239–245). Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2017). The impact of Global English on motivation to learn other languages: Toward an ideal multilingual self. The Modern Language Journal, 101(3), 469–482. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
van der Walt, J. L. (2017). Some recent responses to neoliberalism and its views on education. HTS Theological Studies, 73(3), 1–8. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wang, J. (2021). Friendship group activities: Voices from Chinese EFL learners. English Language Teaching, 14(1), 140–148. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wang, J., Li, Q., & Luo, Y. (2022). Physics identity of Chinese students before and after Gaokao: The effect of high-stake testing. Research in Science Education, 52(2), 675–689. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wang, J., & Rao, N. (2019). Classroom goal structures: Observations from urban and rural high school classes in China. Psychology in the Schools, 56(8), 1211–1229. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wang, R. (2011). The rise of political Confucianism in contemporary China. In R. Fan (Ed.), The renaissance of Confucianism in contemporary China (pp. 33–45). Springer. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wang, Z., & Zheng, Y. (2021). Chinese university students’ multilingual learning motivation under contextual influences: A multi-case study of Japanese majors. International Journal of Multilingualism, 18(3), 1–18. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Weber, I. M. (2018). China and neoliberalism: Moving beyond the China is/is not neoliberal dichotomy. In D. Cahill, M. Cooper, M. Konings, & D. Primrose (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of neoliberalism (pp. 219–233). SAGE Publications. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wong, A. C. Y. (2014). The motivation of working practitioners seeking a doctoral education: From the perspective of Confucian learning philosophy. [Doctoral dissertation, Syracuse University]. Surface Open Access Institutional Repository. [URL]
Wu, X. (2020). Examining the influence of transnational discourses on Chinese international secondary school students’ academic learning. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 41(4), 368–382. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Xiao, Y., & Hu, J. (2019). The inheritance and spreading of Confucianism in modern China and South Korea. In X. Xiao, T. Hauer, & S. A. R. Khan (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2019 5th International Conference on Social Science and Higher Education (ICSSHE 2019) (pp. 158–161). Atlantis Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Xiong, T. (2012). Essence or practice? Conflicting cultural values in Chinese EFL textbooks: A discourse approach. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 33(4), 499–516. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Xiong, T., & Yuan, Z. M. (2018). “It was because I could speak English that I got the job”: Neoliberal discourse in a Chinese English textbook series. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 17(2), 103–117. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Xu, C. L. (2022). Portraying the ‘Chinese international students’: A review of English-language and Chinese-language literature on Chinese international students (2015–2020). Asia Pacific Education Review, 23(1), 151–167. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Xu, C. L., & Montgomery, C. (2019). Educating China on the move: A typology of contemporary Chinese higher education mobilities. Review of Education, 7(3), 598–627. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Xuesong, G. (2006). Strategies used by Chinese parents to support English language learning: Voices of ‘elite’ university students. RELC Journal, 37(3), 285–298. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Yashima, T., Nishida, R., & Mizumoto, A. (2017). Influence of learner beliefs and gender on the motivating power of L2 selves. The Modern Language Journal, 101(4), 691–710. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
You, C. J., & Dörnyei, Z. (2014). Language learning motivation in China: Results of a large-scale stratified survey. Applied Linguistics, 37(4), 495–519. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
You, Z., & Hu, Y. (2013). Walking a policy tightrope: The dilemma of balancing diversification and equality in Chinese college entrance examination reform. Higher Education Policy, 26(3), 309–324. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Young-jin, K. (2003). Neo-Confucianism as the dominant ideology in Joseon. Korea Journal, 43(4), 59–86.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Zhang, Q. M., & Kim, T. Y. (2013). Cross-grade analysis of Chinese students’ English learning motivation: A mixed-methods study. Asia Pacific Education Review, 14(4), 615–627. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Zhu, L., & Reeves, P. (2019). Chinese students’ decisions to undertake postgraduate study overseas. International Journal of Educational Management, 33(5), 999–1011. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue