Ethnic Minority Students’ English Learning Agency: An Activity Theory Perspective

Xiaohui Zhu; Yangyang Duan

doi:10.1515/CJAL-2024-0109

Article

Ethnic Minority Students’ English Learning Agency: An Activity Theory Perspective

Xiaohui Zhu
Xiaohui Zhu is a professor at the School of English Studies, Dalian University of Foreign Languages. Her research interests include third language acquisition and foreign language teaching.
and Yangyang Duan
Yangyang Duan is a PhD student at the School of Foreign Language Education, Jilin University. Her research interests include foreign language learning and second language acquisition.

Published/Copyright: July 2, 2024

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From the journal Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics Volume 47 Issue 1

Abstract

Recent years have witnessed a growing body of research on the English learning of ethnic minority students in China, yet little is known as to how these students enact their agency to address the challenges they encounter in learning English. Through the lens of activity theory, this qualitative case study explored the manifestations and influencing factors of English learning agency of four first-year Uyghur university students. Data were collected through the students’ journals, interviews, and documents, supplemented by the interview data from their teachers. The findings revealed that Uyghur students’ English learning agency was manifested by reflecting on the gap btween themselves and their Han classmates and adjusting their English learning methods; adapting to the mode of all-English teaching and the rule of English presentation; using tools such as the Mandarin Chinese, English learning apps and the Internet; and seeking help from teachers, peers and other community members. The study also found that Uyghur students’ agency was influenced by factors such as language proficiency, motivation, and personal learning experiences. Additionally, preferential policies of the state and the school, help from teachers and peers, and emotional support from family members also had an impact on their English learning agency. This study provides implications for the English teaching of ethnic minority students at universities.

Keywords: agency; English learning; activity theory; ethnic minority students

About the authors

Xiaohui Zhu

Xiaohui Zhu is a professor at the School of English Studies, Dalian University of Foreign Languages. Her research interests include third language acquisition and foreign language teaching.

Yangyang Duan

Yangyang Duan is a PhD student at the School of Foreign Language Education, Jilin University. Her research interests include foreign language learning and second language acquisition.

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Published Online: 2024-07-02

Published in Print: 2024-02-26

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/CJAL-2024-0109

Keywords for this article

agency; English learning; activity theory; ethnic minority students