A Study Of Intermediate Chinese Learners’ Identity And Autonomy Based On The Theoretical Framework Of Communities Of Practice

Autonomy has become one of the hot spots of research in the field of second language acquisition,and more and more scholars have begun to notice the connection between autonomy and identity,and have shifted from focusing on the individual learners themselves to studying the influence of social factors on learners’language learning and individual thinking.The research on second language learners’autonomy from a sociocultural perspective is still in its infancy in the field of teaching Chinese as a second language,and the results are very limited.Therefore,based on the definition of learners’ community identity and autonomy in the theory of community of practice,this paper investigates the Chinese learning experiences,current learning situation,future expectations,and learning plans of three intermediate Chinese learners at Beijing Foreign Studies University through narrative interviews,classroom observation,and regular interviews over for four months,hoping to find out the learning behaviors that reflect the autonomy of these learners.We hope to find out the relationship between the learners’ autonomous learning behaviors and the community of practice identities they have developed and to analyze the relationship between them in depth.The results of the study show that the three learners have constructed rich community identities related to Chinese language learning in the past,present,and future(especially the current direct community identity)and that the dynamic complexity of the identity system is reflected.The three learners show different tendencies in the implementation of autonomous learning behaviors,with X focusing on the use of social-cultural products,Q on participation in sociocultural activities in the past,and Y on engagement with different sociocultural relationships.In terms of the relationship between identity and autonomy,there is a strong connection between learners’ community identities and the self-directed learning behaviors they practice.On the other hand,the construction of a practical community identity also drives learners to implement independent learning behaviors,and this driving effect is especially evident in the use of sociocultural products and contacts with sociocultural relationships.Based on the above findings,the author proposes the following suggestions:First,international Chinese teachers should support learners’ collaborative knowledge construction in class,create a good group learning environment,and pay attention to promoting learners’ contact with people in the target language community in assignments and course activities,to facilitate learners’ establishment of sociocultural relationships related to Chinese learning.Teachers should provide learners with a variety of language-learning resources and encourage them to use them.Second,learners should actively build direct community identities and rich imaginary community identities with the will to struggle,actively engage in sociocultural relationships,use sociocultural products,and participate in social practices to expand their learning paths and support their language learning.Finally,schools or educational institutions should also strive to improve their online information technology and actively build relevant online learning platforms to help learners build a positive online learning environment.