Chinese Learning Anxiety on Foreign Students

Abd Basith,M Aris Ichwanto,Andi Syahputra,Nur Musyafak

doi:10.12973/eu-jer.8.4.1193

Abstract

<p style="text-align:justify">The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of anxiety in learning Chinese, discover the dominant factors of anxiety in learning Chinese language and analyze differences in Chinese language anxiety based on gender, year of study and HSK in foreign students in Wuhan, China. The research method used was quantitative using a survey approach. There are 250 foreign students as the samples, consisting of 108 male and 142 female students. The data collection technique used is questionnaire called CLAS (Chinese Learning Anxiety Survey) adapted from FLCAS (Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Survey). The data were analyzed using SPSS with descriptive statistical techniques and Multivariate Analysis. The results showed that Chinese language anxiety among foreign students is on a moderate level, with communication anxiety as the most dominant aspect. The male and female students have the same anxiety level in learning Chinese. The foreign students who had longer duration of learning Chinese and had higher HSK tend to have lower level of anxiety in learning Chinese. This showed that years of study and HSK were two factors that determine the high or low level of anxiety in learning Chinese for foreign students.</p>

Highlights

Learning a language is not easy, especially if it is a foreign one that has different constructions than the mother tongue
The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of anxiety in learning Chinese, discover the dominant factors of anxiety in learning Chinese language and analyze differences in Chinese language anxiety based on gender, year of study and HSK in foreign students in Wuhan, China
The results showed that Chinese language anxiety among foreign students is on a moderate level, with communication anxiety as the most dominant aspect

Summary

Introduction

Learning a language is not easy, especially if it is a foreign one that has different constructions than the mother tongue. Besides English, the foreign language that attracts the world's attention most is Chinese. This is because China plays an important role in world economics, so learning Chinese can make it easier to expand the economic networks. Among the factors that can significantly hinder a person from learning a foreign language is anxiety, which is an effective variable and negatively influences one's success in learning a foreign language (Aydin, 2008; Ewald, 2007; Khattaq et al, 2011; Liu & Huang, 2011; Tanveer, 2007; Williams & Andrade, 2008; Young, 1991). Many researchers have found that one-third of foreign language learners experience at least a moderate level of anxiety during learning (Horwitz, 2001). Foreign language anxiety is a universal phenomenon that is found in English classes (Kondo, 2005; Sila, 2010), and in other languages such as Chinese (Luo, 2014), Spanish (Noels, 2001) or French (Rodrfguez & Abreu, 2003), and among languages that are rarely taught, including Arabic and Japanese (Elkhafaifi, 2005; William & Andrade, 2008)

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