http://dspace.cityu.edu.hk:80/handle/2031/760 Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:03:46 GMT 2013-04-30T10:03:46Z http://dspace.cityu.edu.hk:80/handle/2031/6143 Title: The role of narrative in virtual communities : the case of Chinese students aspiring to study abroad Authors: Yu, Ran (于然) Abstract: This dissertation takes a detailed look into the roles/identity of a particular subculture of Chinese youth community on the Internet, called Wemers and formation of their collective identity on Bulletin Board System (BBS) forums. With an estimated internet population of 300 million, BBS forums have become extremely popular in China. This paper provides some deep insight into manners/mechanisms of BBS subculture among mainstream University students. The paper aims to discuss how the Wemers establish their identity and maintain their virtual community through narrative analysis of their personal stories on the BBS. There are four primary research questions have been identified according to the implications of online BBS communities in shaping of identity for the Wemers through telling their personal stories of application experience: 1. What are the structures of Wemers’ personal stories, based on the Labov’s theoretical framework of narrative structure? 2. What are the functions of Wemers’ personal stories in the context of previous theories of narrative function? 3. How do Wemers present their particular identity through sharing personal stories on the BBS? 4. How do Wemers create and maintain their community on the BBS through presenting their identity through these stories? Above research questions have been examined using primary qualitative methodology, especially the narrative analysis to find out how the Wemers create and maintain their membership as well as their virtual community on the BBS. A supplementary method of interview will be used to learn the Wemers's behavior and deeper thoughts about the BBS and their virtual community. The dissertation successfully presents important conclusions/highlights for solving various research objectives outlined along with research questions in picture. Notes: CityU Call Number: P302.7 .Y8 2010; vi, 143 leaves 30 cm.; Thesis (M.Phil.)--City University of Hong Kong, 2010.; Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-132) Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://dspace.cityu.edu.hk:80/handle/2031/6143 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://dspace.cityu.edu.hk:80/handle/2031/5228 Title: Empowerment from Super Girls' Voice for female college students in China Authors: Cui, Li (崔麗) Abstract: This thesis investigates young women audience’s consumption of Super Girls’ Voice, one of the most successful television entertainment programs in China in 2005. Based on John Fiske’s empowerment theory, this study attempts to examine whether the use of Super Girls’ Voice has empowered a particular group of women: female college students in China. Through text analysis and focus groups discussions, the thesis attempts to unravel whether this show contains resources which enabled our participants to resist the patriarchic ideology. The thesis also demonstrates whether our participants used these resources to make their own meanings about the show through viewing, voting participation and discussion, and whether they applied the meanings they created to their daily lives. The data reveals that the show, including its participants, the ‘Super Girls’, contained resources of the dominant patriarchy ideology, but still provided some resources for resisting it. By using these resources, young female students not only constructed their own meanings, but also obtained pleasure. They made their own meanings about good personalities, genuineness and androgyny, thus resisting and evading the dominant patriarchy value system. Furthermore, the perceived relevance of the Super Girls to themselves pushed some female students, to apply their own meanings about gender characteristics and gender construction in their everyday lives. Most of them changed their attitude to a more flexible gender identity---androgyny. In addition, at the viewing stage they used their viewing with others as a tool to claim their ability to define the meanings of norms for girls and to increase their subjectivity in this defining. At the same time, they used their anticipation of results to endorse their own life-experiences. Although the show did not completely overthrow the traditional patriarchic ideology, it did provide some potentials and resources for female empowerment. To be specific, the pleasure, the relevance between text and context, and the meanings of gender and identity created in the whole process to some extent improved the young female students’ agency to resist the dominant patriarchic order. Notes: iii, 167 leaves : ill. 30 cm.; Thesis (M.Phil.)--City University of Hong Kong, 2008.; Includes bibliographical references (leaves 153-167); CityU Call Number: P94.5.W65 C85 2008 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://dspace.cityu.edu.hk:80/handle/2031/5228 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z http://dspace.cityu.edu.hk:80/handle/2031/5030 Title: 'China English' or native speaker based standard? : a study of college teachers' and students' perceptions of the ideal pedagogic model of college English in mainland China Authors: He, Deyuan (贺德远) Abstract: By focusing on the ideal pedagogic model of college English in mainland China, this study explores college teachers’ and students’ perceptions towards ‘China English’ in the context of World Englishes, as well as their views about introducing ‘China English’ as part of the teaching model and the possibility of including ‘China English’ and World Englishes into the existing curriculum. In addition, the study also intends to identify the participants’ teacher preference (i.e., the local English teachers — LETs, the native-speaking English teachers — NETs, or both) for teaching of college English in China. The research employed three methods including questionnaire survey, match-guise technique, and interviews (group and individual) to investigate the perceptions and views as conceived by the non-English majors and their Chinese teachers of English. It is revealed that China’s college teachers and students, when compared to the participants in the previous studies, are more familiar with the terms like ‘World Englishes’, ‘China English’, and ‘Chinese English’. Most of them believe that ‘China English’ should be fully codified and developed into a well-established variety of English before being adopted as a teaching model. Most of them still insist on adopting Standard English (i.e., American English or British English) as the pedagogic model in the present situation. At the same time, they agree that select features of ‘China English’ and World Englishes should be incorporated into the existing curriculum for college students in mainland China and that ‘China English’ is easier for China’s English learners to acquire. Furthermore, they also contend that college English should be taught by both LETs and NETs so that the students can benefit from both of their teaching. Moreover, this study suggests that the present pedagogic model is not the main reason for college students’ less-than-satisfactory English learning effectiveness. Instead, some other reasons were identified, including learning English simply as a subject for exams rather than as a tool for communication, and a lack of a conducive environment to practice English skills, particularly speaking skills. Taken together, the data obtained from the three research methods yield (to a greater or lesser extent) informative findings suggesting that Standard English is still perceived by college students in mainland China as a more desirable model of English. This is believed to have significant implications for teaching of college English in China. It suggests that ‘China English’ should be well codified and promoted before being adopted as the pedagogic model so that English learning may become easier for China’s learners. It also proposes that the curriculum design of college English should include the introduction of the well-defined characteristics of ‘China English’ and World Englishes. Besides, more LETs should have chance to be trained in English-speaking countries and more NETs should be recruited so as to provide students with a better and more conducive English learning environment. Last but by no means least, college English should be taught as a tool of communication rather than a subject for exams. Notes: CityU Call Number: PE1068.C6 H4 2007; Includes bibliographical references (leaves 201-235); Thesis (M.Phil.)--City University of Hong Kong, 2007; xiv, 263 leaves ; 30 cm. Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://dspace.cityu.edu.hk:80/handle/2031/5030 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z http://dspace.cityu.edu.hk:80/handle/2031/5029 Title: The markedness differential hypothesis and the acquisition of English final consonants by Cantonese ESL learners in Hong Kong Authors: Lo, Sun Keung (羅新強) Abstract: This study sets out to test the Markedness Differential Hypothesis (MDH) with regard to the acquisition of English word-final consonants by Cantonese learners of English as a second language (ESL) in Hong Kong. English consonant clusters and singleton consonants among which markedness relationships exist were chosen as the focus. Ten Cantonese learners of English at the intermediate and upper-intermediate levels participated in the study. They were asked to perform three different tasks: The reading of a word list, the description of pictures, and the reading of sentences in the form of grammaticality judgement. The participants’ speech performance was recorded by a high-quality mp3 recorder and transcribed by the researcher. The results largely contradict the predictions of the MDH. Of the three predictions of the MDH with reference to three implicational universals involving final consonant clusters and singleton consonants, two of them are not supported. Some relatively unmarked structures (e.g., /-ts/) were found to cause much difficulty for the participants and relatively marked structures (e.g., /-fs/) were not necessarily difficult. It is argued that the MDH is not adequate in explaining the acquisition of English word-final consonants by Cantonese ESL learners in Hong Kong. Factors other than markedness, such as the visual salience of consonants and native language phonotactics, may play a more decisive role in determining the difficulty of sound segments. As individual members of a sound category were found to have different levels of difficulty, the results also question the adoption of implicational universals by the MDH to predict difficulty across sound categories. In terms of pedagogy, language teachers are advised to pay attention to the effects of factors other than markedness in their pronunciation instruction since sound segment difficulty can be determined by them. Notes: 142 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm.; CityU Call Number: PE1159.L67 2007; Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-134); Thesis (M.Phil.)--City University of Hong Kong, 2007 Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://dspace.cityu.edu.hk:80/handle/2031/5029 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z