Lihua Zhu

Publication Date

1991

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Orem, Richard A.

Degree Name

M.S. Ed. (Master of Education)

Legacy Department

Department of Leadership and Educational Policy Studies

LCSH

English language--Study and teaching (Higher)--China; English language--Study and teaching (Continuing education)--China

Abstract

The average level of English competence among Chinese university graduate students and adult learners is low. The main problems that lie in China’s teaching English to adults as a foreign language are the failure to access the current knowledge of second language acquisition research, and the focus of language teaching research on teaching rather than on learning. Second language acquisition research has been a dynamic subject in the field of applied linguistics in the past two decades in North America and Europe. There has been a significant shift from teaching to learning, which deserves our attention. This paper provides a historical overview of second language acquisition research in North America and Europe, and an explanation of its shift from how to teach to how to learn. The impact of the second language acquisition research on the development of theory and practice of adult second/foreign language teaching in North America and Europe is discussed. Given second language acquisition research in North America and Europe as a model, China’s practice of teaching English as a foreign language to adults is critically evaluated. Factors which influence the adult English as a foreign language education in China are examined. Finally, some implications are drawn from this survey for Chinese linguists and educators in their future research and practice in adult foreign language teaching.

Comments

Includes bibliographical references (pages [62]-65)

Extent

65 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

Download

Share

COinS