Investigation Of The Hidden Curriculum In Chinese Language Classes Among The Foreign Learners In China

Hidden Curriculum is one of the hottest topics in second language acquisition field recently. It exists in the learning environment in a hidden, unnoticed way, but with an indirect yet strong impact on the second language learning process in the Chinese classes. The article examines the research findings of hidden curriculum both at home and abroad, and then carries an investigation among the foreign students who are learning the Chinese language in ECNU. The investigation approaches include class observations, survey questionnaire as well as individual interviews. By collecting the data of the current situation of hidden curriculum, the students’satisfaction on the hidden curriculum and their potential needs of it, the article gives suggestions on how to develop and improve the hidden curriculum.The article is divided into three main parts. The first chapter will take a look at the research findings in hidden curriculum by both Chinese and foreign scholars. With a focus on the research in the TCSL field, the article tries to clarify the definition of the hidden curriculum, its content structure and its impact on Chinese learning process. In the second chapter, the article carries an survey in the Chinese classes in ECNU. The survey starts from the students’perception of the hidden curriculum, and then it further analyzes the elements of the hidden curriculum in Chinese classes, including the physical, systematic and psychological aspects. Then it collects the data of the students’satisfaction on the hidden curriculum and tries to analyze the need of the students. The third chapter includes two parts. The first part connects the fact or data in the second chapter with the reasons behind them and theoretic background. And on the basis of the above research, the second part of Chapter3finally brings out specific, realistic and practical advice on how to develop or improve the hidden curriculum in Chinese classes. In this way, it is hoped that the Chinese teachers or educators working in the frontline of TCSL could get some inspiration of the topic.