Investigation Of The Learning Needs Of Chinese Language Learners

The increase in China-Africa cooperation in recent years have spiked the interest of Africans in Chinese language and culture which has in turn led to the growth of Chinese language teaching on the African continent.Already,numerous milestones have been achieved over the years with respect to Chinese language teaching;yet,there remain challenges that still need to be overcome.The Confucius institute at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University which was setup in 2008 has witnessed a rapid growth,but some bottlenecks to Chinese language teaching persist.This study hopes to identify the major problems faced by students at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Confucius Institute through questionnaire analysis,using the theories of needs analysis as the backbone of the study.Data was gathered through the use of semi-structured questionnaire and interviews.Google statistical analytic tool was employed for the analysis of the obtained data.The study also looked into other areas that might affect the students learning,like ideal class time,desired number of students per class,etc.The research findings revealed that students have different motivation for learning of Chinese language;the top motivations included using Chinese language skill as a gateway to better job opportunities,and obtaining the internationally recognized HSK and HSKK certificates.The research found that the students' speaking and listening skills were also at the higher level than their grammar,reading,writing,and vocabulary skills.The study recommended that teachers and schools should conduct a needs analysis regularly and to update the curriculum with such insightful needs.