Engage students in Chinese language learning: Insights from teacher and student perspectives in a Chinese language study abroad program

This paper takes a North American University’s summer immersion Chinese language program in China as a case to discuss how to engage intermediate-level Chinese language learners in an immersion language learning environment. The study grounds student engagement principles as the theoretical framework for designing and evaluating the course and learning activities. Sixteen Chinese language teachers and fifty-six Chinese language learners participated in the study. The qualitative survey was employed to understand Chinese language learners’ experience of engagement in an immersion program from the perspectives of both teachers and their students. The result shows that students can be deeply engaged in an immersion Chinese language program when the program creates a dynamic environment. In the dynamic environment, the opportunities for diverse interactions (i.e., the interactions among the students, between teachers and students, and between students and the local people) are offered. Students are engaged in developing language skills and abilities when they have the chance to obtain individualized feedback on their language performance and instant assistance when they encounter difficulties. The results also highlight the importance of learning Chinese in authentic communicative contexts, especially for grammar drill activities. At last, implications are generated for future instructional design and practice for Chinese study abroad programs.