In order to continue to enhance the level of discipline construction, improve the talent training system, and continuously promote the development of theory and teaching practice in the field of bilingual studies, the 3rd International Conference on Data Science and L2 Studies was held from November 8 to November 10, 2024 at the Hongqi Campus of Jiangxi University of Science and Technology (JXUST) in Ganzhou. The conference aims to build an interdisciplinary and cross-border communication platform to discuss the theme of “Linguistic Data Science Literacy for Second Language Researchers”.
The conference was divided into pre-session workshop, opening ceremony, keynote speeches, poster presentation, parallel forums, roundtable editor-in-chief forums and closing ceremony, etc. On the morning of November 9, Prof. Liao Chunfa, member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of the University, Prof. Kuang Xinhua, President of Jiangxi Society of Foreign Languages and Prof. Wu Shiyu, School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches. The opening ceremony was hosted by Xie Qiu'en, associate dean of the School of Foreign Languages (presiding over the work). More than 300 experts and graduate students from The University of Alabama, City University of Macau, Peking University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Beijing Normal University, Jiangxi Normal University, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology and so on attended the conference.
Vice President Liao Chunfa said in his opening speech, JXUST is a university developed for tungsten, copper, rare earths and lithium, known as the“cradle of non-ferrous metallurgical talent”. In recent years, under the care and support of all walks of life, the university's comprehensive strength has been greatly improved, the effectiveness of discipline construction has been remarkable, the quality of talent cultivation has been enhanced, the breakthrough of high-end talents has been realized, scientific and technological innovation has been fruitful, the level of internationalization has been steadily improved, and all undertakings have shown a good situation of high-quality development. In addition, Liao Chunfa also pointed out that the university is honored to have the opportunity to participate, attend, and host the conference, and will seriously do a good job of service, open-minded exchanges and learning, and hope that all the experts, as always, care about and support the development of the university's career, and work together to promote the theory of the field of second language research and the development of teaching practice.
Prof. Kuang Xinhua, on behalf of Jiangxi Provincial Foreign Language Association, extended warm congratulations on the convening of the seminar and the warmest welcome to all the leaders, experts and scholars. He stressed that Jiangxi Foreign Language Association is committed to promoting the development of foreign language academic exchange and education in Jiangxi, and promoting the cooperation between Jiangxi and other countries in the fields of culture, education, science and technology. This seminar focuses on data science and L2 studies, and expects the participating experts to take this opportunity to discuss and exchange the latest theoretical and practical achievements in data science and L2 studies. To build a new research method and a new knowledge system for the application of data science in second language studies.
Professor Wu Shiyu first of all extended a warm welcome to the participants of the 3rd International Conference on Data Science and L2 studies, and especially thanked our institute and the preparatory team for their efforts. He reviewed the symposium on the theme of "Data Science and L2 Studies in the Era of Artificial Intelligence (AI)" discussed last year, and introduced the ways of reviewing, contributing, citing and disseminating in the Journal of Second Language Studies (JSLS) academic journal. At last, Xin Qiji's poem was quoted as a message to young scholars to contribute to the development of related disciplines, explore the beauty of academia, and open a new chapter of academic.
During the keynote address phase, a series of focused presentations were delivered by Professor Ding Guosheng of Beijing Normal University, Professor Haomin Zhang from City University of Macau, Professor Qingqing Qu of the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dr. Muhammad Islam of the University of the Punjab in Lahore, Pakistan, Associate Professor Huang Yunlong from Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Professor Dilin Liu of The University of Alabama, Professor Wu Jingjing of Jiangsu Normal University, Professor Hu Renfen of Beijing Normal University, and Researcher Yi Wei of Peking University.
Professor Dilin Liu, from The University of Alabama, presented a keynote address titled "Gaining In-depth Understandings of L2 Acquisition via Corpus Analysis: The Case of Chinese EFL Writers' Use of English Lexis and Articles." In his presentation, he conducted an in-depth corpus analysis of the lexical usage of Chinese English writers, shedding light on the linguistic characteristics of L2 learners and the unique challenges they confront. By transcending the limitations of traditional research methods, his approach revealed more nuanced language learning patterns. Furthermore, through an empirical study comparing the lexical usage features of Chinese English learners and native English speakers, he vividly demonstrated the robust capabilities of corpus analysis.
Upon the conclusion of the keynote speeches, the symposium seamlessly shifted into the Editor-in-Chief Forum, which was ably moderated by Professor Wang Li from Shanghai Normal University. In this segment, Editor-in-Chief Chen Yong of "Foreign Language Education," Managing Editor Lei Rong of "Modern Foreign Languages," and Editor-in-Chief Zhou Changyin of "Journal of Beijing International Studies University" took the stage to offer comprehensive insights into their journals' histories, content scopes, topic selections, and regular features. Each editor shared their unique perspectives on the proposed topics, along with their valuable experiences and reflections, fostering a lively and engaging discussion among the attendees.
During the poster session, the conference showcased eight innovative and scientifically designed second language research posters, including "Quantitative evaluation of German teaching word lists based on word frequency, concreteness, and lexical AoA", "Students' Attitude and Self-Feedback Ability in Using AI-mediated Revision", "The Mechanism of Morphophonemic Information in Chinese L2 Reading: Modeling Exploration Based on Individual-Cognitive-Performance Multidimensional Data", and "The Impact of Subtitle Presentation Modes on the Learning Process and Outcomes of Intermediate Chinese Learners". These presentations demonstrated the rich research achievements of industry experts and scholars in the field of second language acquisition, enhancing the exchange and interaction among the attendees, and contributing to a significant advancement in the future of second language research.
In addition, nine parallel forums were set up in this conference. Participating experts and scholars exchanged ideas on artificial intelligence, neuropsychology, second language teaching and data analysis, corpus measurement and other topics. Professors and experts and scholars from all over the country served as moderators or critics. The parallel forum was heated and exciting, with all the experts and scholars exchanging and discussing with the hot content. The performance of the rising stars was also outstanding, and graduate students from many universities across the country presented quite a high level of academic display.
In the round table on the evening of the 9th, the top experts and scholars in the field of second language research at home and abroad who participated in this conference had a heated discussion. The meeting was hosted by Prof. Ding Hongwei of Shanghai Jiaotong University. During the meeting, scholars carried out heated discussions regardless of priority and order. Participants spoke freely and collided with sparks of thought, which demonstrated the vision of scholars and their enthusiastic exploration of the field of second language acquisition.
The conference closed in the morning of November 10th. Each sub-forum made wonderful summaries of the development of their respective forums. Then the award ceremony was held. Professor Li Huoxiu, vice dean of the School of Foreign Languages, presided over the closing ceremony. She first expressed sincere gratitude to every participant and staff member, and highly praised the conference style of "academic contention, respect for individuality, and pragmatic progressiveness" as well as the steady and fruitful work of each sub-venue. Li Huoxiu said that the successful convening of this conference has set a cutting-edge example for the in-depth integration of data science and second language research and also established a model for interdisciplinary research. Subsequently, Li Huoxiu officially passed the baton of the Symposium on Data Science and Second Language Research to Shaoguan University. Professor Kan Zhehua, dean of the School of Foreign Languages of Shaoguan University, took the stage to make a statement, saying that he would go all out to continue promoting academic exchanges and development in the field of data science and second language research. Finally, Professor Xu Xiaodong, vice president of the Special Committee on Data Science and Second Language Research, made a concluding speech. He highly evaluated the substantial significance of the symposium for academic improvement and the determination of forward-looking directions. At the same time, he extended a sincere invitation to all the participants, looking forward to gathering with them again at next year's symposium to jointly explore cutting-edge academic issues.
This symposium brought together first-class experts and scholars in the field of second language research at home and abroad. The introduction of data science has opened a brand-new door for second language research and effectively promoted the in-depth integration and development of data science and second language research.(Text/Yang Mengqi, Tang Jingjing, Yao Jialin Photo/Yu Nanxin, Huang Yueye, Xu Jiajie, Ju Tingting, Hu Mengting, Deng Yuchao, Wang Yuxin Editor/Zhou Linyu)
