On the afternoon of March 5, 2024, the Research Centre for Foreign Language Education and Teacher Development at the College of Foreign Languages, Nankai University, collaborated with the Virtual Teaching and Research Office of Foreign Language Teaching and Research under the Ministry of Education of China for Teaching and Research Integration, and the Foreign Language Curriculum Research Committee of the China Association for Comparative Study of English and Chinese, to host the first expert lecture this semester. The lecture was given by Professor Cai Yuyang of Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, who also serves as the director of the Centre for Language Education and Assessment Research (CLEAR) at the same university. Professor Cai Yuyang is recognized as an “Oriental Scholar.” The lecture was hosted by Professor Zhang Wenzhong from the College of Foreign Languages at Nankai University. Professor Cai Yuyang delivered a remarkable lecture on “Island Ridge Curve Theory and its Implications for Language Education Research” to the faculty and students of the School of Foreign Languages, as well as over 100 off-campus educators and students who participated both online and offline.
At the beginning of the lecture, Professor Cai Yuyang introduced the origin and development of the Island Ridge Theory. First of all, Prof. Cai Yuyang briefly introduced the idea of “change” in Chinese traditional wisdom from the perspective of I Ching, pointing out that human individual development and professional development are in constant change. He selected four core concepts by using dragon as a metaphor. These concepts vividly explain the notion of “change” as the theoretical framework for analyzing the impact of students' strategic use of foreign language learning. Professor Cai Yuyang pointed out that as students' language skills improve, the impact of students' reading strategies on their English language proficiency follows the “island ridge curve” , showing a “low-high-low” trend.
After that, Professor Cai Yuyang introduced the concepts and basic principles of the Island Ridge Curve Theory in detail to both online and offline teachers and students. Professor Cai Yuyang elaborated on the three core concepts of the Island Ridge Theory: Agents, Patterns, and Theorems. In introducing the concept of Agents, Professor Cai Yuyang vividly used three letters to help teachers and students quickly understand the factors that need to be taken into consideration when studying
this concept: Affect (A), Cognition (C), and Blended Factors (B).
Professor Cai Yuyang also introduced in detail the interface between the Island Ridge Curve theory and modern educational psychology theories. He also presented the specific methodology of theoretical applicability research in language education research. Professor Cai Yuyang pointed out that the application of the Island Ridge Curve in empirical research on language education involves five steps (as shown in the figure below) and explained in detail the core statistical methods for data analysis and the theoretical concepts for interpreting results. After that, Professor Cai Yuyang also introduced important theories and research prospects in the field of Educational Psychology, which inspired the teachers and students.
During the interactive Q&A session, Xu Chengping, Associate Professor of the English Department at the College of Foreign Languages, Tianjin Normal University, mentioned that she had greatly benefited from the lecture. She also shared her thoughts on the influence of socioeconomic factors on students' learning strategies and language proficiency. Liu Yali, a teacher from the Department of Foreign Languages for Non-Majors at the College of Foreign Languages, Nankai University, shared her experience of teaching and studies on the use of students' learning strategies and the development of language proficiency in the academic English writing classroom. Several master's and doctoral students from the College discussed and exchanged ideas with Professor Cai Yuyang about the lecture's content. They believed that this lecture would greatly inspire their future academic research.
At the end of the lecture, Professor Zhang Wenzhong pointed out that the Island Ridge Curve Theory proposed by Professor Cai Yuyang aims to fundamentally explain educational and social phenomenon. This theory holds significant theoretical importance and academic value in the field of Educational Psychology. The lecture lasted nearly two and a half hours, and it concluded with a discussion between teachers and students. It is believed that in the near future, the theory of island ridge curves and its empirical research will attract more attention and spark discussions in the academia.
