Tasks and learner motivation in learning Chinese as a foreign language

Abstract

This study focuses on how beginner learners in a task-based teaching and learning (TBTL) environment perceive what is motivating to them in the process of learning Chinese as a foreign language at Aalborg University, Denmark. Drawing upon empirical data from surveys, group interviews and participant observation, this study explores which kinds of tasks are perceived as motivating from the students' perspective and which characteristics the learners associate with motivating tasks. The study indicates that it is important to consider the learners' affective factors and learning situation factors, which can boost learners' intrinsic motivation, when designing a task, especially at a beginning stage of foreign language learning, and to integrate cultural elements into tasks as an added value to motivate learners. Finally, this study identifies challenges and barriers related to TBTL that beginner-level students may find discouraging. It is suggested that motivating learners to continue learning the language and encouraging active participation may be more important than developing their linguistic accuracy and fluency in the given context.

Sustaining International Students’ Learning of Chinese in China: Shifting Motivations among New Zealand Students during Study Abroad

“…Cai and Zhu [9] employed the LMSS as a framework to explore the impact of an online learning project on university students' CAL learning motivation in the United States, and reported that L2 learning experiences changed significantly before and after the online project. Ruan et al [5] examined the influence of task-based instruction on beginner CAL learners' motivation in a Danish university. The result demonstrated that unfocused tasks and tasks involving group work, interactions, learner autonomy, and cultural elements could motivate the learners.…”

“…By the end of 2018, more than 2.7 million people from 154 countries/regions were reportedly learning Chinese as an additional language (CAL) through various learning modes [4]. Despite the rising number of CAL learners both in and outside China, CAL teachers have reported a number of challenges that are related to this study, such as difficulties in generating and sustaining learning motivation [5], low learner retention rates [6][7][8], and a lack of research on Chinese language learning motivation [9,10]. For this reason, there is a pressing need for researchers to explore CAL learners' motivation in diverse teaching and learning contexts [5].…”

The Role of Motivation, Strategy Use and Second Language Aptitude in the Development of Listening Skills by Adult Chinese Learners

“…He found out that integrative motivation represents a major positive role and language anxiety represents a major negative role in both sociocultural adaptation and academic adaptation. Researchers at Aalborg University (Ruan, Duan, & Du, 2015) discovered that integrative motivation played a more significant role than instrumental motivation in the learning process.…”

A Narrative Inquiry of the Influence of Canadian Pre-Service Teachers’ Chinese Language Learning on Cross-Cultural Learning Through Reciprocal Learning

“…Moreover, learner's attitudes and motivation are both important for second language acquisition (Dörnyei, 2001). Ruan, Duan, and Du (2015) suggest that Chinese is often regarded as a difficult language to learn in Western countries and argue that it is therefore necessary to increase the motivation of learners-especially for beginners with low language skills-when conducting a task-based class. Rueda and Chen (2005) purport that cultural differences can influence the assessment of motivational processes in second and foreign language learning.…”