The neurobiological and cultural aspects of the ways of acquiring and processing information, as exemplified by chinese students learning polish as a foreign language

Abstract

The subject of the article is the influence of neurobiological and cultural factors on the ways of acquiring and processing information, which in turn determine the choice of learning methods. The paper discusses the issue of hemispherical preferences in the educational context. The starting point of the research is the thesis that individuals using Mandarin as their native tongue and raised in the Chinese culture prefer those ways of acquiring knowledge which activate the right cerebral hemisphere. The research presents the results of observations and interviews held with students from China who have been learning Polish as a foreign language, about the learning methods and techniques that they use. The research conclusions have been interpreted on the basis of the cultural factors (native tongue and social practices) that are particularly conducive to choosing right-hemisphere strategies in the learning process.