“It’s fun but it could be improved”: Chinese learners’ experiences with a peer-led active-learning based co-curricular language program

There has been a lot of debate around the balance of ‘fun’ and ‘learning’ in cocurricular programs. This presentation builds on current research, asking how this could be developed in intercultural settings, and how students themselves perceive the value of these programs. Using focus groups and evaluation surveys from a two-week conversational English program taught in Suzhou, China, this
presentation develops new ways of looking at the balance of learning and fun in
co-curricular programs while unpacking common misconceptions about Chinese
learners’ engagement in active-learning based pedagogies. It also focuses on the
development and delivery of co-curricular programs in intercultural settings and
how students perceive their participation.