Shijie Wang

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Perspectives

Explore a diverse range of topics and my own interpretations here, as this collection dives into the seemingly endless stream of thoughts and ideas that shape our world today.

The role of L1 in SLA

The role of L1 in SLA

Some interesting background The field of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) experienced a period of being dominated by the L2-centred theories, which claimed that the new or target language should be the only medium of instruction without reference to the default linguistic system or own language (Hall & Cook, 2012). In

Designing an EAP pedagogy for exchange scholars

Designing an EAP pedagogy for exchange scholars

Why are we doing it? The target learners of this curriculum are 8 exchange scholars at the University of Cambridge. These mature students speak Mandarin Chinese as their first language, with sufficiently high proficiency in receptive English skills but comparatively low competence in productive skills. This pattern can be seen

What information did vlog-focused studies hide from us?

What information did vlog-focused studies hide from us?

This is a short critique on Aldukhayel, D. (2021). Vlogs in L2 listening: EFL learners’ and teachers’ perceptions. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 34(8), 1085–1104. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1658608 📖 The paper Arguing for the higher diversity of online resources that may better fit students’ personal

The role of contextual influence in language processing

The role of contextual influence in language processing

The statement to be discussed is ‘Language processing is predictive’. This short article supported an interactive approach to language processing by critically reviewing studies investigating the role of contextual influence.

Can a language model achieve human-like accuracy on word prediction?

Can a language model achieve human-like accuracy on word prediction?

Although ‘enough data’ lead to higher accuracy, ‘human-like’ performance in word prediction requires a comprehensive modification of the underlying mechanism of the language model.

Is there a true critical period?

Is there a true critical period?

Hierarchical Regression without Well-established Theory

Hierarchical Regression without Well-established Theory

Hierarchical regression is a theory-driven method. However, when an exploratory study can benefit from this method, it is rarely discussed what should be done if no well-established theories can be identified.