International Students’ Language Learning and Intercultural Communication Experiences in China: A Perspective on the Internationalization of Chinese Language Education
摘要
This chapter reports on an inquiry that explored international students’ experiences of learning Chinese as an additional language and intercultural communication in China. Focusing on eight international students, the study aimed to gain a nuanced understanding of the internationalization of Chinese language education as experienced by the participants. Drawing on a longitudinal study, this chapter presents on the participants’ identity construction, social network development, and language learning in the process. It documents the complex processes of intercultural communication that the participants experienced during their educational journeys in China. The analysis of the participants’ experiences generated valuable insights into the internationalization of language education, which inform teachers’ efforts to develop international students’ intercultural communicative competence. The findings suggest that it is important for teachers to consider international students’ intercultural communication experiences when creating and sustaining inclusive learning environments to enhance language education programs. The findings also help policymakers, curriculum developers, and teachers to adopt appropriate pedagogical approaches that support international students’ language learning and intercultural communication experiences for study abroad in contexts such as China.