New directions in Business Chinese instructional materials development

Abstract

Since Business Chinese curriculum was implemented in the 1990s in the United States, the development of instructional materials in Business Chinese has been on the rise. Some educators are concerned whether these materials are arbitrary in topic, random in content, or even suitable for real-world business settings. These concerns deserve to be reviewed more vigorously. This chapter provides insights into the development of new instructional materials for Business Chinese. It considers the efficacy of instruction employing established theory and practice for Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) and Content-Based Instruction (CBI). It also explores the principles and rationale for materials development, emphasizing learners’ needs, level appropriateness, content logic, and topic relevance.