Using scaffolding resources to facilitate international students'
autonomous online Chinese as a Second Language learning A case study
during the COVID-19 pandemic
Abstract
Abstract: This case study explores international Chinese as a Second
Language (CSL) students’ use of embedded scaffolding resources to
facilitate their Chinese language learning in an autonomous online
context during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 60 international
students enrolled in a Chinese university participated in study. Data
were collected via participants’ reflective reports, teacher-led
tutorials and individual interviews. This study found that scaffolding
resources could be a good facilitator to enhance international CSL
students’ autonomy in online Chinese language skill learning, which was
not a linear process but a recursive one. In terms of intercultural
learning, scaffolding resources were not effective on promoting
students’ online learning autonomy. They preferred teachers’ support to
their learning. These findings could be instructive for online CSL
education during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Learn From Home policy of
Chinese universities will last for a long time. Recommendations for
future studies are provided on the base of these findings as well.