In Hong Kong, multilingualism is prevalent, where citizens have Cantonese as their first language (L1), Mandarin and English as their second (L2) or third language (L3). Previous studies pointed out that the language acquisition of a multilingual is nonlinear and dynamic (Jessner, 2008), and L3 speakers possess a greater repertoire than L2 speakers in terms of cognitive flexibility, phonetic-phonological articulatory, perceptual knowledge and language-learning awareness that helps L3 learners better acquire a new language (Gut, 2009). Regarding the complexity of language teaching and acquisition, this project aims to examine the interaction amongst L1, L2, and L3 and provide in-depth insights for language teachers and learners in Hong Kong and researchers worldwide.
Year: 2020 - 2022
Project Leader -
Dr CHEN Hsueh Chu Rebecca
Capacity: PI
Effective learning of second language (L2) vocabulary hinges on the learners’ ability to self-regulate their learning. However, little research interest has been shown in how students self-regulate when they are left on their own to explore L2 vocabulary learning mediated by mobile technologies. In this research, a self-regulated and personalised (SRP) vocabulary learning approach is developed and its effectiveness measured. This research aims to help students develop a heightened capacity for self-regulation to learn L2 vocabulary with mobile technologies more efficiently and effectively. This research adopts a mixed-method design. An experimental design is adopted to find out to what extent students can learn L2 vocabulary using the SRP approach in a mobile technology-mediated environment via a self-directed intervention for one semester. In addition, a multi-case study will be conducted to provide qualitative evidence to verify whether the self-directed SRP approach can lead to a heightened capacity for self-regulation.
Year: 2019 - 2021
Project Leader -
Dr MA Qing Angel
Capacity: PI
English is stress-timed while Chinese is syllable-timed, which makes English word stress placement difficult for Chinese learners of English. This project aims to develop assessment tasks to identify Chinese learners’ difficulties in English word stress placement in perception and production, design training programmes to examine whether word stress can be acquired systematically, and conduct a teaching experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of the training programmes in facilitating the learning of word stress. This project will generate substantial impact in both theory and practice.
Year: 2019 - 2021
Project Leader -
Dr CHEN Hsueh Chu Rebecca
Capacity: PI
The present study arises from the belief that early school readers play a major role in the socialisation of children’s lives and their gender development, and that schooling is an important medium of reproducing cultures and of perpetuating the existing mechanisms of domination. The study aims to examine how male and female characters are represented in the readers produced by local publishers and those recommended by the Education Bureau in its two popular reading schemes, namely the Primary Literacy Programme: Reading and Writing, and Reading across the Curriculum. A total of 180 readers for Key Stage 1 (Primary 1-3) will be selected for the analysis. The value of the investigation is that it will help heighten the public awareness of the power of book authors to position the two genders through various means.
Year: 2018 - 2020
Project Leader -
Prof LEE Fung King Jackie
Capacity: PI (Dr LEE Fung King Jackie)
Capacity: Co-I (Dr CHIN Chi On Andy)
This project examines an underexplored yet fundamental question in second language (L2) research: when acquiring new speech sounds, do L2 learners draw on knowledge of their first language (L1) phonology sound-by-sound or along some continuous dimension such as length?
Taking phonemic length (i.e. short vs. long sounds) as the test case, we will compare native listeners with different L1 backgrounds producing and perceiving length contrasts in non-native language(s). Their relative performance will answer numerous questions about how L1 transfer occurs.
The findings of the study are expected to have both theoretical and pedagogical implications. At the theoretical level, our findings can lead to a definitive conclusion at the ‘feature vs. category’ dialogue in L2 phonological acquisition. In turn, this will benefit learners of languages where length distinctions matter, such as Japanese. In the long run, our findings can also help teachers devise more effective pedagogical strategies.
Year: 2020 - 2021
Project Leader -
Dr LEE Kwing Lok Albert
Capacity: PI
Year: 2019 - 2021
Project Leader -
Dr CHIN Chi On Andy
Capacity: PI
Year: 2018 - 2020
Project Leader -
Prof LEE Fung King Jackie
Capacity: Co-I
Year: 2019 - 2020
Project Leader -
Dr KATAOKA Shin
Capacity: PI
Year: 2019 - 2020
Project Leader -
Prof LEE Fung King Jackie
Capacity: PI
Year: 2019 - 2020
Project Leader -
Dr LIU Fung Ming Christy
Capacity: PI
Year: 2019 - 2020
Project Leader -
Dr MA Qing
Capacity: PI
Year: 2019 - 2020
Project Leader -
Dr LEE Kwing Lok Albert
Capacity: PI
Year: 2019 - 2020
Project Leader -
Dr LEE Kwing Lok Albert
Capacity: PI
Year: 2019 - 2020
Project Leader -
Dr LUK Pei Sui Zoe
Capacity: PI
Year: 2019 - 2020
Project Leader -
Dr CHEN Hsueh Chu Rebecca
Capacity: PI
Year: 2020 - 2022
Project Leader -
Prof CHEUNG Hin Tat
Capacity: PI (Prof CHEUNG Hin Tat)
Capacity: Co-I (Dr CHIN Chi On Andy, Dr LEE Kwing Lok Albert)
Year: 2020 - 2021
Project Leader -
Dr LIU Fung Ming Christy
Capacity: PI
Year: 2020 - 2021
Project Leader -
Dr CHEN Hsueh Chu Rebecca
Capacity: PI
Year: 2019 - 2021
Project Leader -
Dr MA Qing
Capacity: PI
Year: 2019 - 2020
Project Leader -
Dr CHIN Chi On Andy
Capacity: PI
Year: 2019 - 2020
Project Leader -
Prof LEE Fung King Jackie
Capacity: PI