"Follow You, Learn Well" The Ethnographic Analysis Of A Native English Speaker In A Chinese Online Language-learning Environment

Research in the fields of telecollaborative language learning and online social media suggests social communities are integral to the success of language learning collaboration but depend on well-informed intercultural communication to thrive. A fair amount of research into the behavioral patterns of Chinese netizens has been conducted in the form of content analysis, but this study provides one of the first attempts to explore a Chinese social media environment online through an ethnographic approach. Through participant observation and expert interviews, these findings provide new evidence in support of some existing research on Chinese netizen behavior, but also introduce four new themes of Chinese netizen behavioral patterns in language learning environments. Furthermore, this research adds to a foundation of cultural understanding for the benefit of future programs in Chinese-English telecollaborative language exchanges, offering insight and guidelines for exchange partners and English teachers in Chinese online communities.