"Virtually fluent conversations": examining post-pandemic year abroad and hybrid learning impact on language degree student experiences

• Dates: 2023–24
• Funding body: Internal Leeds University funding
• Primary investigator: Clare Wright (Linguistics & Phonetics)
• Co-investigators: Ping Yeng (EAST)
• Language at Leeds satellites: Centre for Excellence in Language Teaching (CELT); Pedagogical Linguistics
• Language at Leeds themes: Language and cognition; Language learning and teaching

This project takes a novel approach to tracking L2 fluency development in university students learning Chinese, comparing cohorts with differing levels of virtual or hybrid residence abroad experience. The data taken from end of year oral assessments informs a new model for teaching and learning interactional L2 fluency incorporating discourse markers. Findings also provide additional insights into how students connect their own communicative fluency development to perceived employability value post-graduation.