Yang Lu
Yang Lu has taught UG and PG students Mandarin Chinese, Translation between English and Chinese, Chinese History and Culture in the University of Nottingham, London School of Economics and Political Sciences and University of Reading. She read English Language and Literature for her BA and her MA and PhD studies investigate the impacts of an interactive methodology on language learning and the relationship between learners' discourse competence and their overall L2 competence.
Subjects: Area Studies, Education, Language Learning
Biography
In the first half of my career, I taught English to Chinese university students. In the second half, I teach Chinese to native-speakers of English. Having been on the two sides, I have become so fascinated by the processes and cognitive activities of language learning, especially for learning a tonal language with a logographic script, Chinese. Therefore, observing and studying language learning and assessment has been my passion and the most enjoyable intellectual mental adventures for me.Areas of Research / Professional Expertise
-
Language assessment, SLA in Chinese, pedagogy for Chinese language education, discourse analysis, research methodology for teaching and learning languages, translation between English and Chinese and cultural studies of China
Personal Interests
-
reading and travelling
Websites
Books
Articles
Exploring the Criterion-Validity of HSK Levels 3 and 4
Published: Mar 09, 2017 by In: Y. Lu (ed.) Teaching and Learning Mandarin Chinese in Higher Education: Theoretical and Practical Issues. Routledge.
Authors: Yang Lu
The high-profile proficiency test for Chinese, Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK), claims that its tests are standardised with the CEFR criteria for assessment. It has been questioned if there is a significant relationship between the criteria applied by HSK and those by the summative assessments in European universities aligned with CEFR standards. This study investigates the criterion-related validity of HSK at Level 3 and 4 in relation to two summative institutional assessments.
European Benchmarking Chinese Language: Defining the Competences in the Written
Published: Mar 09, 2017 by In: Y. Lu (ed.) Teaching and Learning Mandarin Chinese in Higher Education: Theoretical and Practical Issues. Routledge.
Authors: Yang Lu and Lianyi Song
This article discusses the pressing issues for standardising competence in Chinese written language with a review of the difficulties and importance for learning the script followed by an introduction to the pioneering work by the European Benchmarking Chinese Language (EBCL) project. The EBCL competence descriptors for Pinyin, graphemic/orthographic control have established significant pedagogic framework for teaching and learning the written language.
A Hybrid of Inductive and Deductive Approach for teaching Chinese Grammar
Published: Apr 07, 2014 by In: M.J. Xing and L. M. Li (eds.), Developing Pedagogies for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language in Higher Education.
Authors: Yang Lu
The article reports a study that incorporates deductive and inductive approach for teaching Chinese pedagogic grammar to adult learners in a British university. An analytic approach with use of metalanguage integrated was introduced to the learners and implemented in summative exams. Findings show that such a methodology improves learning of a parataxis grammatical system syntactically very different from the students’ first languages.
Chinese EFL Learners’ Discoursal Performance in Cambridge ESOL FCE Speaking Test
Published: Jan 12, 2010 by In: L. Y. Chen and A. Curtis (eds.), Language Assessment for Chinese Learners. London: Taylor and Francis Group.
Authors: Yang Lu
This research investigates if ESL test-takers’ discoursal performance in oral exams is culture-specific or test-driven due to the sociolinguistic variations caused by candidates’ interlanguage pragmatics and conversational styles in their first languages. Discourse analysis and statistical data show that the Chinese test-takers’ performance was not the only factor on the overall performance. A complex picture of test-driven and culture-specific performance emerged in the finding.
The Impact on Candidate Language of Examiner Deviation from Interlocutor Frame
Published: Apr 06, 2006 by IELTS Research Report Volume 6, British Council and IDP: IELTS Australia.
Authors: O’Sullivan, B. & Y. Lu
This study examines if deviation from the interlocutor script for oral examiners could affect the candidates' performance in accuracy and fluency in a ESL exam.
A Validation Study of the ECCE NNS and NS Examiners’ Conversational Styles
Published: Jan 16, 2005 by Spaan Fellow Working Papers in Second or Foreign Language Assessment. Vol. 3 2005. Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A.
Authors: Yang Lu
This paper reports on a validation study on the oral exam of the Michigan English Test, investigating the conversational styles of the non- and native- speaker examiners with a discourse analysis framework.
Insights into the FCE Speaking Test
Published: Jan 02, 2003 by Research Notes 11, Cambridge, University of Cambridge, ESOL Examinations.
Authors: Yang Lu
This is a study of the discourse patterns resulted from the oral exam of Cambridge First Certificate of English Test. Results seemed to suggest that test-takers from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds may use different strategies for the interview, long-turn and two-way conversation parts. Specific discourse styles resulted in the performance might affect their overall performance as judged by the examiners.