Doctoral Dissertation Research: Individual differences in Chinese second language acquisition: The relationships among aptitude, memory, and strategies for learning

不同记忆能力的英语母语者是否使用不同的学习策略将汉语作为外语学习？传统的外语能力测试能充分预测谁会成功地学习汉语吗？或者我们能通过包括记忆的测量来提高测试的可预测性吗？或者，传统的衡量学生学习汉语能力的标准没有考虑到他或她有效使用策略的能力，这可能会严重影响学生的汉语学习能力？虽然许多语言学研究探索了以英语为母语的人学习西班牙语、法语和德语等常用语言的过程，但很少有关于英语母语者如何学习汉语的研究，汉语是一种具有象征性书写系统的语言。象形文字系统将一个单词作为一个整体用一个象形图来表示，主要是通过记忆来学习的，对于以英语为母语的人来说很难掌握。在国家科学基金会的资助下，温克将开展研究，旨在了解学生学习汉语的策略，以及学生的策略选择可能如何受到记忆能力的影响。该项目还调查了学习者学习汉语的动机，这也影响了学习结果。参与者来自代表不同目的、课程和学生群体的两个机构：60名乔治城大学中文入门本科生和200名国防语言学院军事人员。这项研究将通过标准化的外语能力测试、两个工作记忆测试以及动机和策略问卷来进行。所有参与者都将参加焦点小组访谈，以提供对他们的战略和动机的更多见解。我们将使用阶乘(双向)方差分析来分析记忆分数，从而将学习者分为四类记忆能力。记忆、能力倾向、策略和动机特征，以及汉语水平测试成绩，将通过相关和多元回归进一步分析，以确定(A)不同记忆能力和动机的学生是否使用不同的策略学习汉语，以及(B)记忆测试分数是否可以改善汉语能力倾向测试。这项研究将展示学生学习汉语的方法差异是如何受到他们的记忆容量以及他们的学习原因和动机的影响的。本研究的结果将为第二语言习得的教学方法提供参考，并对工作记忆在外语学习中的作用，特别是对汉语学习的影响提供深入的见解。汉语是一门具有国家重要性的语言；然而，人们认为以英语为母语的人很难掌握汉语，大学里的中文课程往往招生人数少，流失率高。这个项目将告诉教育工作者如何评估和诊断学生在学习汉语方面的困难，以帮助留住学生和改善学习。此外，这个项目将帮助中国课程开发人员设计适当的家庭作业和课堂活动，以促进不同记忆能力的学生使用特定的策略。

Do native English speakers with different memory skills use different learning strategies to learn Chinese as a foreign language? Do traditional tests of foreign language aptitude adequately predict who will be successful in learning Chinese, or can we improve the tests' predictability by including a measure of memory? Or could it be that traditional measures of a student's aptitude for learning Chinese do not take into account his or her ability to effectively use strategies, which may heavily influence the student's ability to learn Chinese? While much linguistic research has explored the learning processes of native English speakers studying commonly-taught languages such as Spanish, French, and German, there has been little research into how English speakers learn Chinese, a language with a logographic writing system. Logographic systems, in which a word is represented as a whole in one pictogram, are learned mostly through memorization and are difficult for native English speakers to acquire. With funding from the National Science Foundation, Ms. Winke will conduct research aimed at understanding what strategies students use to learn Chinese and how students' choices in strategies may be affected by memory abilities. This project also investigates learners' motivations for taking Chinese, which also influence learning outcomes. Participants come from two institutions representing different purposes, curricula, and student populations: 60 undergraduates enrolled in beginning Chinese at Georgetown University and 200 military personnel at the Defense Language Institute. The research will be conducted by administering standardized tests of foreign language aptitude, two working memory tests, and motivation and strategy questionnaires. All participants will take part in focus-group interviews to provide additional insights into their strategies and motivations. A factorial (2-way) analysis of variance will be used to analyze the memory scores to group learners into four categories of memory ability. Memory, aptitude, and strategy and motivation profiles, along with Chinese proficiency test scores, will further be analyzed through correlations and multiple regressions to determine (a) if students with different memory abilities and motivations use strategies differently to learn Chinese, and (b) if memory test scores can improve Chinese aptitude testing. The research will demonstrate how differences in students' approaches to learning Chinese are influenced by their memory capacities and their reasons and motivations for learning.The results of this study will inform teaching methods in second language acquisition and yield insights into the effects of working memory on foreign language learning, particularly for the learning of Chinese. Chinese is a language of national importance; however, it is considered to be difficult for native English speakers to acquire, and Chinese programs at universities tend to have low enrollments and high attrition rates. This project will inform educators on how to evaluate and diagnose students' difficulties in learning Chinese to aid in the retention of students and to improve learning. In addition, this project will assist Chinese curriculum developers in designing appropriate homework and classroom activities to promote the use of particular strategies by students with varying memory abilities.