Chinese Learners and Pacific Languages Online Journeys in NZ During COVID-19

Abstract

This article reports on research that examined the unique experiences of Chinese international students learning Pacific languages at the University of Auckland. In response to COVID-19 border restrictions between 2020 and 2021, the university transitioned classes into online delivery. This study explores the question: how do online Pacific language learning experiences of Chinese international students compare with in face-to-face classroom settings? Drawing on my own critical autoethnographic reflections and an interview with a Chinese international student who studied a Pacific language in this setting, this article argues that the lack of interactions in the online setting was the biggest challenge to their learning, posing practical barriers to building vā/wā (relational space), which is integral to the effectiveness of learning in a Pacific setting. Furthermore, online learning bereft of in-person cultural exchange could potentially accentuate cultural complexity for Chinese students studying Pacific languages in Aotearoa New Zealand, as they are negotiating their Pacific language learning between learned Chinese, developing Western and being exposed to Pacific pedagogical approaches for the first time.