Informed by Vygotsky' s social constructive theory， particularly theconcepts of the Zone of Proximal Development， scaffolding， interactionand autonomy， the study investigated the dynamics of tertiary students'English learning experience in extracurricular contexts in China. Itexamined learning materials and tasks， levels of scaffolding， interactionpatterns and practices of autonomous learning. As an empirical research，this study combined both quantitative and qualitative methods from theperspective of the social constructivist theory. The theorization andfindings contributed to the literature of Second Language Acquisitionwithin an extracurricular context and provided context-specific empiricalevidence to develop a framework for EFL pedagogy that included extra-curricular activities as an integral part of English teaching and learning inChina. The framework might also be replicable in teaching and learningEnglish in similar educational contexts.
Abstract Acknowledgments List of Figures List of Tables Glossary of Abbreviations Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 BACKGROUND 1.2 CONTEXT OF THE STUDY 1.2.1 College English teaching in China 1.2.2 Transformation of College English teaching in China 1.3 PURPOSES OF THE STUDY 1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 1.6 THESIS STRUCTURE Chapter 2 Literature Review 2.1 PAST STUDIES ON LEC 2.1.1 Historical background 2.1.2 Research on LEC in adolescent development 2.1.3 Research on LEC in language development 2.2 PAST STUDIES ON SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION 2.2.1 Designing learning to promote the ZPD 2.2.2 Scaffolding in language instruction 2.2.3 Interaction in language learning 2.2.4 Autonomous learning 2.3 SUMMARY Chapter 3 Theoretical framework 3.1 SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVlST THEORY 3.1.1 The Zone of Proximal Development 3.1.2 Scaffolding 3.1.3 Interaction 3.1.4 Learner autonomy 3.2 THEORETICAL CONCEPTUALISATION Chapter 4 Research Design 4.1 METHODOLOGY 4.2 PARTICIPANTS 4.3 AN INTRODUCTION TO THE LEC PROGRAM 4.4 INSTRUMENTS 4.4.1 Document collection 4.4.2 QueStionnaires 4.4.3 Interviews 4.4.4 Learner diaries 4.5 PROCEDURE AND TIMELINE 4.6 DATA ANALYSIS 4.7 VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY 4.8 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS 4.9 SUMMARY Chapter 5 Research Data Report 5.1 INTRODUCTION 5.2 QUESTIONNAIRE DATA 5.2.1 Demographic data 5.2.2 Proactive learning in extracurricular contexts (PLEC) 5.2.3 Reactive learning in extracurricular contexts (RLEC) 5.2.4 Evaluation of EAP 5.2.5 Difficulty of EAP 5.2.6 Scaffolding in EAP 5.2.7 Interaction in EAP 5.2.8 Learner perception 5.2.9 Questionnaire data summary 5.3 QUALITATIVE DATA 5.3.1 Documents 5.3.2 Interviews 5.3.3 Learner diaries 5.3.4 Qualitative data summary 5.4 SUMMARY Chapter 6 Research Data Discussion 6.1 DATA DISCUSSION STRUCTURE 6.2 RQ1: WHAT ARE STUDENT'S PERCEPTIONS OF LEC IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING? 6.2.1 Evaluation of EAP 6.2.2 Difficulty of EAP 6.2 3 The characteristics of LEC compared to classroom English learning 6.2.4 The impact of EAP on language learning 6.2.5 Relationship between perception and attendance 6.3 RQ2: WHAT KINDS OF LEARNING MATERIALS AND TASKS ARE INCLUDED, AND HOW ARE THEY SCAFFOLDED IN THE EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAM?. 6.3.1 Learning materials and task types 6.3.2 Support from learning materials 6.3 3 Teacher's scaffolding 6.4 RQ3：HOW DO STUDENTS LEARN AND INTERACT IN EXTRACURRICULAR CONTEXTS TO DEVELOP LEARNER AUTONOMY? 6.4 1 EAP participation 6 4,2 EAP interaction 6.5 SUMMARY Chapter 7 Implications and Conclusion 7.1 MAJOR FINDINGS 7.1,1 Perceptions 7.1 2 Scaffolding 7.1.3 The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) 7 1.4 Interaction 7.1.5 Autonomy 7.2 CONCLUSION OF THE STUDY 7.2.1 A new conceptualization 7.2.2 Learner perception 7.3 SUGGESTIONS 7.3 1 Improvement on the LEC program 7.3.2 Application of the LEC program 7.4 IMPLICATIONS OF THE STUDY 7.4.1 Theoretical implications 7.4 2 Pedagogical implications 7.5 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY AND SCOPE FOR FURTHER RESEARCH Bibliography Appendices APPENDIX A PARTICIPANT INFORMATION FOR THE RESEARCH PROJECT APPENDIX B CONSENT FORM FOR THE RESEARCH PROJECT APPENDIX C QUESTIONNAIRE APPENDIX D INTERVIEW PROTOCOL APPENDIX E PROMPTS FOR LEARNER DIARIES APPENDIX F THE LEC SYLLABUS APPENDIX G FREQUENCY OF PLEC
