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Motivation for Learning Chinese in the Australian Context: A Research Focus on Tertiary Students

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The Palgrave Handbook of Motivation for Language Learning

Abstract

This chapter examines affective factors in Chinese language study, at undergraduate university level, making use of a collation of data from three studies of motivation in this context. The teaching and learning of Chinese has been promoted in Australian schools and universities amidst the globalized spread of the teaching of Chinese as a second and foreign language. This aligns with the Australian government’s drive to produce ‘Asia-literate’ graduates, and puts pressure on educators to understand how to support the motivation of their students. The data presented in this chapter derived from three studies conducted respectively in 2011, 2013 and 2017. The studies reveal differences and similarities between heritage and non-heritage language learners. For both groups, learning Chinese for future job prospects features strongly, while for the heritage cohorts, familial heritage, cultural identity, and parental views all come into play to influence students’ choice of learning Chinese. Our studies also show that motivation factors may be shaped by changes in immigration patterns and social and political discourse.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Hui Ling Xu & Robyn Moloney

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  1. Hui Ling Xu
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  2. Robyn Moloney
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Correspondence to Hui Ling Xu .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

    Martin Lamb

  2. Faculty of Humanities, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary

    Kata Csizér

  3. Department of Social and Behavioural Studies, University West, Trollhättan, Sweden

    Alastair Henry

  4. School of Culture, Media and Society, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan

    Stephen Ryan

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Xu, H.L., Moloney, R. (2019). Motivation for Learning Chinese in the Australian Context: A Research Focus on Tertiary Students. In: Lamb, M., Csizér, K., Henry, A., Ryan, S. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Motivation for Language Learning. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28380-3_22

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28380-3_22

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-28380-3

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