Diversities and motivations of Chinese L2 learners

What is it about?

In the face of significant growth in student enrolments in Modern Chinese language programs at tertiary educational institutions in Australia, the ongoing Chinese language curriculum is facing challenges as to how to cater best for a corpus of students with various language backgrounds and motivations. This study aims to make contribution to the field of Chinese language education by examining how the students’ linguistic/cultural backgrounds and motivations have impacted on their learning of this language in Australian universities. This study examines the interrelationship between language background, motivation, language learning practice and academic achievement of newly-enrolled students in a modern Chinese language program with a view to creating a well-informed curriculum so as to further improve the students’ Chinese language proficiency. The primary data of this study consist of a questionnaire survey of 168 newly enrolled students and observation of first year classes in a modern Chinese language program at a leading university in Australia.

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Why is it important?

While reaffirming that students’ linguistic backgrounds can make a significant impact on their language learning experience, motivations and academic results, this study finds that the closer the relation between the students’ cultural and linguistic background and the Chinese language, the easier it is for the students to learn the language. On the other hand, this situation can also lead to students’ high self-efficacy belief, which can be detrimental to their actual learning experience. Further, the study indicates that the students’ interest in Chinese language and culture as an intrinsic motivation greatly enhances their learning experience.