Disciplinary Construction Of Eefl From A Paradigm Transformation Perspective

In the era which witnesses the increasingly popular application of informationtechnology（IT）, the E-education represented by computer sciences and internettechnology in foreign languages are playing an increasingly important role. Yet, there aremany issues concerned awaiting for further exploration. Some major ones include: howdoes IT influence foreign language education（FLE）? What is the relationship between ITand FLE? What is the connection and logical foundation of their relationships? What arethe mechanisms and representational forms of the integration of IT into FLE? What is theresearch paradigm of the information-oriented FLE? Why is the integration of IT intoFLE regarded as the foundation for the research paradigm of technology-oriented FLE?Why are the formation and transformation of the research paradigms on informationdefined as a precondition and a symbol for the formation of a new discipline? What isE-education in foreign languages?What is E-educology of foreign languages (EEFL)?What are the conditions and proofs for its formation? What are its theoretical system,research subject, research content and realistic foundation? What are its mainachievements? Questions are many and answers are few. The importance of this study isthus being highlighted.The pursuit of these issues may provide a complete picture for us to betterunderstand the blossoming of E-education of FLE which has been under exploration for along time in China. This effort may effectively improve the complex theoreticalinvestigation of cross-disciplinary teaching practice. It is sincerely hoped that theendeavor in this respect may firstly enrich and perfect the theoretical system of ChineseE-educology, and secondly, enrich and refine the theoretical construction of FLE inChina, and promote the development of foreign language teaching in Chinese universitiesand colleges.By answering the questions raised above, the present thesis aims to prove that theFLE based on E-education has now become a major teaching method in Chinese collegesand universities. As a new teaching paradigm, the formation and transformation ofE-education-oriented FLE, according to the concept of the “scientific revolution” inThomas Kuhn’s framework, predicts the establishing of another new discipline: EEFL. The major research method of the present thesis is a dialectic investigation based onmetatheory, in which, to prove that some ideas and basic structures are reasonable andtrue, both statistical methods and qualitative analyses are used wherever they arenecessary.The structure of the present thesis can be divided into two major parts in terms of itsthematic categories. Through the analysis of the relationships between IT and FLE andtheir integrating mechanism, the first part aims to logically prove the foundation whichnurtures the concept of “paradigm”, then proceeds to prove the formation of atechnological paradigm in FLE in China, based on which, other thematic goals of thepresent thesis, the emergence and formation of EEFL are therefore put forward. Thesecond part of this thesis proceeds from this logical result and proves the feasibility ofthe following points: Its disciplinary nature, its theoretical framework, and thedevelopmental practice of the new EEFL. The whole thesis offers an over-all discussionto prove the new disciplinary theory system within the new technological paradigm, andaims to predict the preliminary formation of a new discipline.The points discussed in the two parts are summarized as follows:1. The advanced-level foreign language education in China, or foreign languageteaching in Chinese universities and colleges, has evolved into an influential disciplinarywith a strong teaching practice. It is quite hard to continue accomplishing a task of such abig scale with only traditional methods of information transmission. Based on thetheories and disciplinary foundations of IT, E-education, educology, psychology, andlinguistics, the cross-disciplinary EEFL thus emerges and naturally becomes a newdisciplinary subject with modern E-educational techniques.2. EEFL is a disciplinary knowledge on scientific and reasonable application offoreign language resources and designing of foreign language teaching procedures withmodern E-educational techniques. It does not investigate techniques themselves, rather,it is about the practice and theory on the exploration of the way of technical managementof educational resources and procedures in FLE. Its ultimate goal is still related toforeign language teaching, while its direct goal is to practically design, develop, utilize,manage and evaluate the procedures and resources of FLE, which is the essentialdifference between FLE and EEFL. 3. FLE is the teaching of languages, highlighting the natural connection betweenlanguage and information. The integration process of IT into language teaching isinnately symbiotic, ontological and closed. As an organic and inseparable entity, thecombination of FLE and information technology forms a logical foundation for theformation of the research paradigm of EEFL. This combination makes it possible for thetransformation from the traditional education mode to the new mode based oncomputer-facilitated IT and classroom practice. According to the notion of “paradigmshift” in Thomas Kuhn’s scientific revolution theory, this combination has endowed theemergence of EEFL with the logical precondition and realistic feasibility.4. EEFL is a comprehensive cross-disciplinary research subject, whose theoreticalfoundation is the ecological integration theory developed and evolved from behaviorism,cognitivism, construction theory, communicative approach theory, and integration theory,etc. It is a comprehensive summarization of theoretical systems of educology,E-education (educational technology), psychology and linguistics, etc. The notion ofecological integration is a comprehensive and open theory system abstracted from theyears-long practice of E-education in foreign languages in China. By absorbing researchachievements in related fields, it develops into a guiding theory of the comprehensiveEEFL, which holds the idea that the ecological system of FLE is a comprehensive,dynamic and balanced environment. It is playing an inclusive, regulatory andconditioning role in EEFL. Being inclusive, dynamic and benign forms an evaluationstandard for a harmonious ecology of FLE.5. The disciplinary theory notion of ecological integration shapes the ecologicalmethodology of EEFL, which represents the application of ecological education theory inthe method of exploring FLE. As a new paradigm in FLE, it also exhibits the style ofEEFL of its own, integrating the various teaching resources and procedures and showingits scientific, technological and humanistic features. It constitutes an ideal state pursuedby the ecological integration theory of EEFL and essentially exhibits the methodology ofEEFL.6. The methodology shapes the research method. As required by the ecologicalintegrating methodology of EEFL, we cannot simply utilize old-fashioned, simple, rigid,dated, stationary and conclusively evaluative research methods as we did in the past. Rather, we should use “future-oriented” behaviorist research and construct a dynamicmethodology with integrating, constructive and formative features in order to exhibit thescientific, technological and humane characteristics of EEFL. This methodology is “adesign-based research”. As a new and comprehensive research mode, it is featured by itsbehaviorist, long-term, cycling, changeable, and complicated characteristics. Followingthis argument, it is not only a research methodology, but also an innovative paradigm,which is in line with the complex nature of EEFL and may best exhibit the characteristicsof it.7. The EEFL is the study of E-educology of Foreign Languages. Its researchsubjects are the important relationships between technology and human beings,technology and language, technology and education. Its research can be divided into twocategories: Educational resources and educational procedure, where the former includesteachers, students, teaching content and teaching techniques, and the latter comprisescourse design and implementation of classroom teaching. Technologically speaking, theresearch content of EEFL consists of online FLE, multi-media FLE, corpus linguistics,and scientific statistical and analytical methodology, etc. If we look at the issue from theperspective of course content, it may consist of inner elements of disciplinary theory,research target, methodology, majors setting, course construction(curriculum), talenttraining and textbook compilation in EEFL, as well as the outer elements such as thebackground, disciplinary status, disciplinary development, disciplinary policy, realisticsignificance and other related elements in EEFL.8. The establishment, development of EEFL and the consolidation of its status needto be supported by real practices from professional research groups and the individuals,professional academic journals, professional academic conferences and comparativelysystematic professional course construction and training systems.To sum up, the conclusion of the present thesis is that the essential characteristics oflanguage, information and technology have provided a logical connection for theintegrating of IT into language education, which lays the foundation for the formationand transformation of a new educational paradigm. As a “common guideline in thediscipline”, the transformation towards a new paradigm symbolizes the birth of a newdiscipline. Thus, after reviewing and analyzing issues related to theoretical foundation, methodology, research subject, research content, educational practice, research groups,research individuals, professional journal, academic conferences, disciplinaryconstruction and talent cultivation of the EEFL, the present thesis holds that theE-educology based on the transformation of paradigm has been preliminarily established.Lastly, advantages, disadvantages and remaining questions are treated in thisresearch while the future of further investigations is discussed.