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Exploring South African public higher education students' digital beyond-the-classroom practices: a collective case study of ten Chinese foreign language learners
Ubiquitous technologies and networked applications have created new digital language learning opportunities that extend beyond traditional classroom settings. These opportunities enable "digital beyond-classroom" (DBC) language learning practices—activities that occur in semi-formal and informal dig...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English English |
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School of Education
2026
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| _version_ | 1869483654862864384 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Futcher, Jarryd |
| author2 | Mayisela, Thabisa |
| author_browse | Futcher, Jarryd Mayisela, Thabisa |
| author_facet | Mayisela, Thabisa Futcher, Jarryd |
| author_sort | Futcher, Jarryd |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Ubiquitous technologies and networked applications have created new digital language learning opportunities that extend beyond traditional classroom settings. These opportunities enable "digital beyond-classroom" (DBC) language learning practices—activities that occur in semi-formal and informal digital contexts outside conventional educational environments. This study adopts a social practices approach to examine students' DBC practices, focusing on how learner intentions, digital settings, and available resources create contexts that shape the language and literacy learning experiences. This study addresses tensions and taken-for- granted assumptions on the use of technology for self-directed learning within the context of Chinese foreign language (CFL) research. From an interpretivist paradigm and adopting a case study design (including the use of an online semi-structured questionnaire and semi-structured interviews), this study explores the DBC practices of a purposive, convenience sample of 10 participants who studied CFL at three South African, public higher education institutions. The data was analysed inductively in relation to the research question, “How do students from public higher education institutions in South Africa engage in digital beyond-classroom practices to support their Chinese foreign language learning?”. The findings reveal a variety of beyond-classroom practices which, using a thematic analysis approach, generated two themes: beyond-classroom practices for language learning and beyond-classroom practices for everyday use purposes. Using Benson's (2011) LBC framework (i.e., location, formality, pedagogy, and locus of control), a significant finding is that students fluidly switched between digital and physical modes based on their evolving perceptions of which best supported their learning goals and practical applications of the language. Additionally, the technical, cognitive, and social-emotional dimensions of Mayisela's (2019) digital literacy practices supported identifying digital literacies and the entanglement between students' intentions (for language learning or everyday purposes), perceived digital affordances, community culture, and identities. The study concludes that CFL learners' DBC practices mediated means to develop language skills, cultural knowledge and foreign language (FL) learner identities in complex and entangled ways. These findings provide educators, instructional designers and learners insights into how certain digital practices may support FL learning. Finally, the study recommends that future research consider critical ecological and postdigital approaches to researching language learners' literacy practices in a postdigital world. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/43350 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | English eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-07-01T04:02:26.584Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | School of Education |
| publisherStr | School of Education |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/43350 Exploring South African public higher education students' digital beyond-the-classroom practices: a collective case study of ten Chinese foreign language learners Futcher, Jarryd Mayisela, Thabisa Govender, Shanali Chinese foreign language learners Ubiquitous technologies and networked applications have created new digital language learning opportunities that extend beyond traditional classroom settings. These opportunities enable "digital beyond-classroom" (DBC) language learning practices—activities that occur in semi-formal and informal digital contexts outside conventional educational environments. This study adopts a social practices approach to examine students' DBC practices, focusing on how learner intentions, digital settings, and available resources create contexts that shape the language and literacy learning experiences. This study addresses tensions and taken-for- granted assumptions on the use of technology for self-directed learning within the context of Chinese foreign language (CFL) research. From an interpretivist paradigm and adopting a case study design (including the use of an online semi-structured questionnaire and semi-structured interviews), this study explores the DBC practices of a purposive, convenience sample of 10 participants who studied CFL at three South African, public higher education institutions. The data was analysed inductively in relation to the research question, “How do students from public higher education institutions in South Africa engage in digital beyond-classroom practices to support their Chinese foreign language learning?”. The findings reveal a variety of beyond-classroom practices which, using a thematic analysis approach, generated two themes: beyond-classroom practices for language learning and beyond-classroom practices for everyday use purposes. Using Benson's (2011) LBC framework (i.e., location, formality, pedagogy, and locus of control), a significant finding is that students fluidly switched between digital and physical modes based on their evolving perceptions of which best supported their learning goals and practical applications of the language. Additionally, the technical, cognitive, and social-emotional dimensions of Mayisela's (2019) digital literacy practices supported identifying digital literacies and the entanglement between students' intentions (for language learning or everyday purposes), perceived digital affordances, community culture, and identities. The study concludes that CFL learners' DBC practices mediated means to develop language skills, cultural knowledge and foreign language (FL) learner identities in complex and entangled ways. These findings provide educators, instructional designers and learners insights into how certain digital practices may support FL learning. Finally, the study recommends that future research consider critical ecological and postdigital approaches to researching language learners' literacy practices in a postdigital world. 2026-06-22T13:23:17Z 2026-06-22T13:23:17Z 2026 2026-06-22T11:18:35Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters MEd http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43350 en eng application/pdf School of Education Faculty of Humanities University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Chinese foreign language learners Futcher, Jarryd Exploring South African public higher education students' digital beyond-the-classroom practices: a collective case study of ten Chinese foreign language learners |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Exploring South African public higher education students' digital beyond-the-classroom practices: a collective case study of ten Chinese foreign language learners |
| title_full | Exploring South African public higher education students' digital beyond-the-classroom practices: a collective case study of ten Chinese foreign language learners |
| title_fullStr | Exploring South African public higher education students' digital beyond-the-classroom practices: a collective case study of ten Chinese foreign language learners |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring South African public higher education students' digital beyond-the-classroom practices: a collective case study of ten Chinese foreign language learners |
| title_short | Exploring South African public higher education students' digital beyond-the-classroom practices: a collective case study of ten Chinese foreign language learners |
| title_sort | exploring south african public higher education students digital beyond the classroom practices a collective case study of ten chinese foreign language learners |
| topic | Chinese foreign language learners |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43350 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT futcherjarryd exploringsouthafricanpublichighereducationstudentsdigitalbeyondtheclassroompracticesacollectivecasestudyoftenchineseforeignlanguagelearners |