Resumen

AZPIROZ NUNEZ, María del Carmen. Approaches to learning in Chinese higher education students of Spanish as a second language. Cuad. Investig. Educ. [online]. 2017, vol.8, n.1, pp.13-29. ISSN 1510-2432.  https://doi.org/10.18861/cied.2017.8.1.2636.

The current research focuses on identifying and understanding the prevalent learning approaches of Chinese higher education students of Spanish as a foreign language in the framework of a two-academic semester inter-university program. In addition, it seeks to understand the possible changes in student approaches as a result of studying Spanish in a language immersion modality of learning.

This is a case study of qualitative design with longitudinal elements. Interviews have been conducted to 27 students that comprise 100% of students from the 2013-2014 generation of the program. Within each approach (deep and superficial), two dimensions are considered; motivation (either extrinsic or intrinsic) and the role of memorization in learning.

In addition to extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, there is one emerging category (intermediate motivation), which implies that the student begins with an extrinsic motivation, such as getting a job or earning money, but then the student develops a genuine interest in studying Spanish. Reasons for this include the execution of linguistic tasks and activities that are considered interesting, the emergence of an interest in the culture of Spanish speaking countries and the contact with foreigners.

As for the memory processes, students think that memorizing is positive because it enables them to store knowledge. Students are used to such processes as a consequence of the Chinese educational methods; they find those useful and efficient to pass exams if we take into account the inter-linguistic differences between Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. From a more eclectic point of view, memorization processes cause the student to waste time; they breed boredom, they are not always useful to store information and they are only efficient if the material being memorized is brief and simple.

Palabras clave : learning approaches; Chinese students; Spanish as a foreign language; higher education; memorization; motivation..

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