Chapter 1 Introduction 1
1.1 BACKGROUND 1
1.2 CONTEXT OF THE STUDY 4
1.2.1 College English teaching in China 5
1.2.2 Transformation of College English teaching in China 5
1.3 PURPOSES OF THE STUDY 7
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 9
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 10
1.6 THESIS STRUCTURE 11
Chapter 2 Literature Review 13
2.1 PAST STUDIES ON LEC 13
2.1.1 Historical background 13
2.1.2 Research on LEC in adolescent development 14
2.1.3 Research on LEC in language development 22
2.2 PAST STUDIES ON SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION 31
2.2.1 Designing learning to promote the ZPD 32
2.2.2 Scaffolding in language instruction 35
2.2.3 Interaction in language learning 39
2.2.4 Autonomous learning 43
2.3 SUMMARY 47
Chapter 3 Theoretical framework 49
3.1 SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY 49
3.1.1 The Zone of Proximal Development 52
3.1.2 Scaffolding 57
3.1.3 Interaction 62
3.1.4 Learner autonomy 66
3.2 THEORETICAL CONCEPTUALISATION 72
Chapter 4 Research Design 74
4.1 METHODOLOGY 74
4.2 PARTICIPANTS 78
4.3 AN INTRODUCTION TO THE LEC PROGRAM 79
4.4 INSTRUMENTS 82
4.4.1 Document collection 83
4.4.2 Questionnaires 84
4.4.3 Interviews 85
4.4.4 Learner diaries 86
4.5 PROCEDURE AND TIMELINE 88
4.6 DATA ANALYSIS 88
4.7 VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY 90
4.8 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS 91
4.9 SUMMARY 91
Chapter 5 Research Data Report 93
5.1 INTRODUCTION 93
5.2 QUESTIONNAIRE DATA 93
5.2.1 Demographic data 94
5.2.2 Proactive learning in extracurricular contexts(PLEC) 98
5.2.3 Reactive learning in extracurricular contexts(RLEC) 102
5.2.4 Evaluation of EAP 105
5.2.5 Difficulty of EAP 107
5.2.6 Scaffolding in EAP 108
5.2.7 Interaction in EAP 110
5.2.8 Learner perception 112
5.2.9 Questionnaire data summary 115
5.3 QUALITATIVE DATA 116
5.3.1 Documents 116
5.3.2 Interviews 123
5.3.3 Learner diaries 128
5.3.4 Qualitative data summary 132
5.4 SUMMARY 133
Chapter 6 Research Data Discussion 134
6.1 DATA DISCUSSION STRUCTURE 134
6.2 RQ1:WHAT ARE STUDENT'S PERCEPTIONS OF LEC IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING? 135
6.2.1 Evaluation of EAP 135
6.2.2 Difficulty of EAP 140
6.2.3 The characteristics of LEC compared to classroom English learning 143
6.2.4 The impact of EAP on language learning 146
6.2.5 Relationship between perception and attendance 147
6.3 RQ2:WHAT KINDS OF LEARNING MATERIALS AND TASKS ARE INCLUDED,AND HOW ARE THEY SCAFFOLDED IN THE EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAM? 148
6.3.1 Learning materials and task types 148
6.3.2 Support from learning materials 151
6.3.3 Teacher's scaffolding 154
6.4 RQ3:HOW DO STUDENTS LEARN AND INTERACT IN EXTRACURRICULAR CONTEXTS TO DEVELOP LEARNER AUTONOMY? 157
6.4.1 EAP participation 158
6.4.2 EAP interaction 168
6.5 SUMMARY 170
Chapter 7 Implications and Conclusion 172
7.1 MAJOR FINDINGS 173
7.1.1 Perceptions 173
7.1.2 Scaffolding 174
7.1.3 The Zone of Proximal Development(ZPD) 175
7.1.4 Interaction 175
7.1.5 Autonomy 176
7.2 CONCLUSION OF THE STUDY 176
7.2.1 A new conceptualization 178
7.2.2 Learner perception 180
7.3 SUGGESTIONS 182
7.3.1 Improvement on the LEC program 182
7.3.2 Application of the LEC program 186
7.4 IMPLICATIONS OF THE STUDY 193
7.4.1 Theoretical implications 193
7.4.2 Pedagogical implications 194
7.5 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY AND SCOPE FOR FURTHER RESEARCH 195
Bibliography 197
Appendices 216
APPENDIX A PARTICIPANT INFORMATION FOR THE RESEARCH PROJECT 216
APPENDIX B CONSENT FORM FOR THE RESEARCH PROJECT 218
APPENDIX C QUESTIONNAIRE 219
APPENDIX D INTERVIEW PROTOCOL 226
APPENDIX E PROMPTS FOR LEARNER DIARIES 227
APPENDIX F THE LEC SYLLABUS 228
APPENDIX G FREQUENCY OF PLEC 231