A pilot study on British students

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A pilot study on British students attitudes
towards Mandarin Chinese and the development of
intercultural sensitivity through learning
Chinese

• Qi ZHANG
• Q.Zhang_at_mmu.ac.uk

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Overview

• Previous results
• Research design
• Results and discussion
• Implications for teaching

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Previous results

• Instrumental vs. Integrative
• practical reasons
• identity
• Languages perceived as
• difficult (students parents)
• aesthetic (parents)

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Research Design 1

• Questionnaire 2 pages (Anonymous)
• Part One participants background information
• Gender
• Chinese language level
• 1st language parents 1st languages

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Research Design 2

• Part Two (eight statements)
• 1Strongly disagree 5Strongly agree
• difficult/aesthetic
• e.g. Mandarin Chinese has four tones. I think
  this could be the main problem for me to achieve
  a high proficiency of Chinese.
• instrumental motivation
• e.g. Knowing Mandarin Chinese will bring me
  better career opportunities.
• integrative motivation
• e.g. Speaking Mandarin Chinese can help me to
  interact or identify with Chinese people.

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Research Design 3

• Part Three 16-item Intercultural Sensitivity
  Inventory (ICSI, Bhawuk Brislin 1992)
• 1Strongly disagree 5Strongly agree
• 9 items for collectivism 7 items for
  individualism
• Imagine you are living and working in China.
  Then Circle the appropriate number to show to
  what extend you agree/disagree the following
  statements.

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Result 1

• Participants 63 university students
• 56 valid questionnaires
• Speak Chinese dialects. One missing data.

Gender Male Female Total
23 33 56
With Chinese Background Yes No Total
22 33 55
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Result 2

• Mandarin Chinese Level

Level Number Percentage
Beg 18 32.1
Beg Cant 6 10.7
Pre-Int 11 19.6
Int 10 17.9
Post-Int 10 17.9
Proficiency 1 1.8
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Results 3
Mean Std. D Missing t-value
Instrumental 4.14 .68 1 4.20
Integrative 3.72 .67 2 3.77
Aesthetic 3.39 .85 1 .17
Difficult 3.36 .81 1
Note p.000, lt.01 p.000, lt.01 p.000, lt.01 p.000, lt.01
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Result 4
Mean Std. D Missing t-value
Individualism 3.48 .50 6 -2.15
Collectivism 3.59 .45 3
Note p.036, lt.05 p.036, lt.05 p.036, lt.05 p.036, lt.05
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Implications 1

• Mainly instrumentally motivated to learn Chinese
  curriculum design, lesson plans, etc.
• Integrative motivation Students with/without
  Chinese background F (51, 2).05, p.95, gt.05

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Implications 2

• Chinese is not particularly difficult suitable
  input
• Chinese is not especially aesthetic class
  activities
• Be aware of the cultural differences lesson plans

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References

• Bhawuk, D. and R. Brislin (1992). The measurement
  of intercultural sensitivity using the concepts
  of individualism and collectivism. International
  Journal of Intercultural Relations. Vol. 16, pp
  413-436.
• Bullo-Alos, S. and Y. Wang (2009). Parental
  attitudes to language learning in Arabic and
  Chinese supplementary/complementary schools a
  case study. Paper presented at the BAAL Language
  Learning and Teaching SIG conference. July 2009.
• Hofstede, G. (1980). Cultures consequence
  International differences in work related values.
  Beverly Hills, CA Sage Publications.
• Luo, S-H. and R. L. Wiseman (2000). Ethnic
  language maintenance among Chinese immigrant
  children in the United States. International
  Journal of Intercultural Relations. Vol. 24,
  307-324.
• Ou, Y. and H. P. McAdoo (1993). Socialization of
  Chinese American children. In H. P. McAdoo (Ed.),
  Family Ethnicity Strength in Diversity (pp.
  245-270). Newbury Park, CA Sage Publications.
• Yang, F. (2006). An exploration of teaching
  Chinese as a second language in England. MA
  Dissertation, Manchester University.

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• Thank you!
• Any question?