6.4 Disciplinary Identities Development in Engagem...
In this section, the data from interviews provide more contextual information to track the development of disciplinary identities in similarities and differences.As Weeks (1990) argues,
‘Identity is about belonging, about what you have in common with some people and what differentiates you from others.At its most basic it gives you a sense of personal location, the stable core to your individuality.But it is also about your relationships, your complex involvement with others and in the modern world these have become ever complex and confusing.’ (p.88)
I analysed the first and second rounds of interviews with the six Chinese student participants to look at how their disciplinary identities are represented in the negotiation of interpersonal and intrapersonal interactions and values, drawing on the sociocultural theory and the other two modes of belonging, namely, engagement and alignment.Engagement constructs a context to explore how interpersonal relationships are established by involving the participants’ ability to understand the community, engage with members and respond to their actions, and then mobilise participation to make new meanings in the context.While interpreting the construction of interpersonal interaction through engagement in historical and contextual activities, the positive or negative evaluation of them is also investigated to see how the disciplinary identities are developed as the Chinese students evaluate discordance or congruence between their values and those in the situated and social contexts.
It has been discussed in Chapter 2 that people in the same community share certain practices and values, and there is particularly no exception in the educational context.By comparing Chinese students’ responses to the same interview questions, the overall findings show that their interpersonal relationships with the context have effects on their positive disciplinary behaviours and imaginations, which is also evidenced in the previous analytical section.To simplify the presentation of data, I summarise the same themes shared by all the six Chinese student participants as follows:
1) All mention their independence;
2) There is coexisting of individualism and collectivism;
3) All identified their Chinese national identities, by distinguishing from the other non-Chinese people in the context of the institution;
4) Their present and future values attached with the institution and the discipline are reinforced in the following year, but meanwhile they establish their own values, which are in opposition to the Chinese social standard, by distinguishing the differences between themselves and both international students in the current context and other Chinese students in other Chinese universities;
5) Western culture has limited influence on them, but there is explicit identification towards the social force of globalisation and internationalisation, by strategically positioning themselves in Chinese and international social contexts;
6) Their future choices are affected by other successful students in the community.
In stating the reasons for choosing this university and learning strategies, all Chinese interviewees advocate independence.Emma (Year 3) explicitly states her own personality:‘I have an independent personality.I do what I want to do.’ Matthew (Year 2) also explicitly describes his independent personality:‘I think I know what I am doing.’ While Catherine (Year 2) implicitly indicates her independence in learning, ‘I like self-study...I prefer to self-study, I think this is more effective’, and ‘I make decision for myself...As long as I make my own choice, I will make it happen.I choose this major myself, I then will learn it well’.
The finding of individualism in these Chinese students’ narrative challenges some western scholars’ claims explored in Chapter 1 that Chinese learners are purely rooted in Confusion and collectivism.This is especially found in these interviewees’ explanations and comments on choosing personal goals and needs.Interestingly, Year 1 Chinese students more explicitly express their individuality than those in the other years.This supports the view that the so-call post-1990s generation in China has an increased sense of individualism:
‘It doesn’t mean that teamwork is not valuable.Teamwork...I think...although I am this kind of person, teamwork is...In the past, teamwork is very important, now I feel I prefer to focus on individual development.’ (Owen, Year 1)
This is much more concretely reflected in Leona’s (Year 1) opinion on ‘interaction’ as an individual need:
‘...interaction is time-consuming.You need to balance all the things and reasonably arrange duration of time to interact with others.Don’t be constrained by some unnecessary things by considering how to maintain friendship or avoid losing face...I think you need to have a clear mind regarding what you really need.’
Moreover, all these Chinese students not only distance themselves from Western culture in the current context of mixed global and local cultures, but also develop affinity with the local cultures associated with the institution and the discipline.This is supported by the findings from the interviews with non-Chinese participants in Section 5.4.In answering questions 14 to 18 in the first round of interviews about the understanding of Western culture and the interaction with English L1 speakers, all Chinese interviewees recalled some experiences reflecting ‘cultural differences and conflicts’.By negatively evaluating the events and using the inclusive pronouns ‘we’, ‘our’, ‘us’, and the exclusive pronouns ‘they’, ‘their’, ‘them’ referring to the ‘international students’ and ‘foreigners’, they socially construct their ‘Chinese’ national identities to differ themselves from those outside the group in the community.However, this does not mean these students are not imbued with the contextual Western culture, as Catherine (Year 2) says:‘Of course I can feel the Western culture.At least the Western teaching style is conducted in the university, isn’t it?’ In fact, all six interviewees have positively evaluated how this non-Chinese teaching style in the current context increases the action of communication by comparing it with the relatively static teaching and learning behaviours in previous Chinese schools.
Another interesting finding is that the six Chinese interviewees all mentioned that they have tried to interact with the international students in the university, like attending the club activities or hanging out in the nightclubs together.But later, they found that these international students are ‘way too open’ and ‘contradict to my life attitudes’ (Emma, Year 3).Therefore, they withdraw themselves from interacting with the international students outside the classroom.Also interestingly, there is only one Chinese interviewee (Owen, Year 1) who explicitly explains that this is because of his ‘not good English’.If we look back to what a non-Chinese student mentioned in Section 5.4, there indeed is a particular way to affiliate some international students and Chinese students in the context, that is, ‘get drunk’.
On the other hand, that ‘otherness’ does not influence their disciplinary identity development in the increased sense of belonging in the community.This is also supported by the three non-Chinese teachers interviewed in Section 5.4.Instead, they establish their own values that are different from the mainstream ones in Chinese society.In the second round of interviews, all Chinese interviewees mentioned their changed attitudes towards the institution and the discipline by positively evaluating the located values.The examples are as follows:
Leona (Year 1):‘I think this experience of [outside the classroom] interaction has no certain influence on me, rather, I think discipline per se has significant effect on me...Recently I changed attitude towards this discipline.In the past, I thought this was too boring and did not want to carry on learning.Now I realise that if you gain more relevant knowledge, you actually can apply the knowledge into the field of Media.’
Emma (Year 3):‘Before I entered this university, I didn’t know it could change my value orientation so much.After I started studying here, I had different needs and desires from those who in other Chinese universities...we...participate in many international activities.Therefore, everybody becomes ambitious, looking forward to studyingor staying in the countries such as Canada, Australia...[International Communications mean to me] Very important! First, it cultivates my interest towards Arts.Second, it is very helpful for developing critical thinking.’
In turn, engagement in the institution and discipline and the subsequent values drive these Chinese students to strategically align themselves in both Chinese and international context, by either stating the differences between themselves and those Chinese students in other Chinese universities or identifying the social forces of globalisation and internationalisation.For example, Owen (Year 1) comments that:‘There are rare people in Chinese universities who have an international outlook.’ Similarly, Emma (Year 3) positively evaluates that ‘we Chinese students’ in this university ‘look far ahead, and of course aim high.’
These shared institutional and disciplinary values strongly influence the students’ affinity with the context in both intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions.For example, when asked about their future plans in the interviews, all students say they will pursue a Master’s degree in the UK, because ‘almost all other students are doing so’.Intrapersonally, this value orientation is evident in Emma’s (Year 3) explanation that:‘This is an international university, I of course choose a Master course in the UK.’ Interpersonally, according to these interviewees, there are many information exchange activities carried out by some successful senior Chinese students who have been accepted by top universities abroad or world famous companies.They try to motivate them to ‘bravely pursuit dreams and work hard’ by telling the experiences of how they make the things happen, which often ‘deeply motivate us’ (Leona).These findings correlate with the results on possible disciplinary selves in imagination in Section 6.4 and what was discussed in Chapter 2 that group membership is established while an individual consciously observes and imitates other members’ behaviour in and through engagement and alignment.