An Investigation of English-Majored Students’ Perspectives on Improving the Learning of Chinese as A Second Foreign Language

Abstract

This study focuses on surveying the opinions of specialized language students on improving the quality of second foreign language learning, Chinese. Based on the perspectives of 133 students through responses to questionnaires about their knowledge, skills, and attitudes, the results show that students have a clear understanding of their level and learning attitude, but are less confident in their Chinese ability due to the differences between their mother tongue and specialized languages. They also have difficulty learning two languages at the same time. However, students have a positive attitude and passion for learning Chinese, largely because they have been exposed to it from an early age through movies and music. At the same time, the study also explores the factors that affect learning Chinese, including external factors such as the phonology, grammar and characters of Chinese, training time, and teaching methods; along with internal factors such as students' ability to absorb new knowledge, level of concentration and motivation to learn. Finally, the students and the authors also suggest some ways to improve the quality of Chinese learning as a second foreign language for students. This is an important basis for improving and optimizing the current Chinese language teaching program.