A Comparative Study of the History and Level Development of the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL) in Taiwan and the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (New HSK) in Mainland China

Abstract

In this paper, through the comparison between the development of the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL) in Taiwan and that of the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (New HSK) in mainland China, we can not only comprehend the historical development of mainstream tests on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, but also catch a glimpse of the similarities and differences. Finding the inspiration from it, we hope that the language examination system on both sides of the strait could be improved and developed under knowing ourselves and others, in order to benefit the vast number of Chinese language learners.BR This paper used George Z. F. Berethay(1964)’s four-stage educational comparison method of “description, interpretation, juxtaposition, comparison” to make a careful comparison of historical development and level development between the TOCFL and the New HSK. As a result, from the development of Test Of Proficiency Huayu (TOP) to TOCEL, the level change is relatively stable and the change is not large. Also, due to the late starting, the TOCEL system structure is relatively perfect. However, comparison of the development from the old HSK to the new HSK reveals the great change and fluctuation of levels. Although starting earlier has its advantages, to reverse or revise a system or structure that has been in operation for a long time, it is necessary to reform it with great force. Fortunately, we can see the birth of the new HSK, which is more difficult than the development of TOCFL, and the project is also very large. In particular, under TOCFL’s first introduction of computerization, the new HSK has also moved into computerization and started to offer internet-based examination services in some examination sites to meet the market demand and increase efficiency.