Motivation and Vision

A Survey of British Learners on the Mandarin Excellence Programme

Abstract

This study investigates learners’ motivation and vision in learning Mandarin Chinese (hereafter Mandarin2) as a second language in the UK context. Firstly, the current study aims to present the view of the learners’ motivation and find out whether motivation differs between groups according to gender and the length of time studying Mandarin. Secondly, it further investigates the relationship between motivation and intended effort. Thirdly, this survey explores the role that vision played in motivation. In order to meet these aims, 40 participants from a secondary school located in London took part in this study. The participants were on the Mandarin Excellence Programme, which is a project that provides intensive Mandarin courses in secondary schools. The data was collected using a well-designed, six-point Likert scale questionnaire, which was based on the research literature on motivation of L23 Mandarin and English learning. This study found that Chinese culture motivates participants the most in learning Mandarin and revealed significant correlations between motivation and intended effort. Furthermore, it found that cultural interest and travelling have a positive predictive effect on intended effort. In terms of vision, it proved that participants have developed vivid visualization in using Mandarin.