Cover not available
Article published In:
Chinese as a Second Language (漢語教學研究—美國中文教師學會學報)
Vol. 53:2 (2018) ► pp.109–130

Mixed-methods needs analysis of a Chinese language program

Perspectives from stakeholders

| University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
| University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

With the aim of improving a Chinese language program by incorporating defensible curricula, this study surveyed 213 stakeholders to arrive at a panoramic profile of the program’s needs. A mixed-methods research design with multiple types of data triangulation was employed to achieve a balanced quantitative and qualitative exploration of these needs. To redress a lack of comprehensive studies of Chinese learning needs in higher education, this study investigated: (a) program components that were perceived differently by students and teachers; (b) whether, how, and why lower-level learners diverged from upper-level ones with regard to communicative skills and instructional-approach preferences; and (c) any possible insights for program improvement from both micro- and macro- perspectives. In addition to discussing this study’s reliability and validity, the researchers offer recommendations for potential program restructuring and for Chinese language instruction more generally. The paper concludes with implications for future studies, and how its findings might be utilized for program sustainability and improvement.

Keywords: needs analysis, mixed methods, triangulation, participant observation, program improvement, language program evaluation
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Background information
    • 1.2Literature review
    • 1.3Purposes of the study
  • 2.Methods
    • 2.1Participants
    • 2.2Instruments and procedures
    • 2.3The Delphi technique
    • 2.4Data analysis
  • 3.Results
    • 3.1Quantitative data
    • 3.2Qualitative data
  • 4.Discussion
    • 4.1Answers to research questions
    • 4.2Limitations of this study and recommendations for future research
    • 4.3Implications
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 21 January 2019
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/csl.18003.wan
References
Brown, J. D.
(2009) Foreign and second language needs analysis. In M. H. Long & C. J. Doughty (Eds.), Handbook of language teaching (pp. 269–293). Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2014) Mixed methods research for TESOL. Edinburgh, UK: Edinburgh University Press.Google Scholar
(2016) Introducing needs analysis and English for specific purposes. London: Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Crookes, G., & Schmidt, R. W.
(1991) Motivation: Reopening the research agenda. Language Learning, 41 (4), 469–512. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Goldberg, D., Looney, D., & Lusin, N.
(2015) Enrollments in languages other than English in United States institutions of higher education, Fall 2013. Retrieved December 23, 2016 from [URL].
Harney, A.
(2015) U.S. students losing interest in China as dream jobs prove elusive. Retrieved October 17, 2017 from [URL]
Hsu, C. -C., & Sandford, B. A.
(2007) The Delphi technique: Making sense of consensus. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 12 (10), 1–8.Google Scholar
Huang, C.
(2014) A needs analysis for Chinese language teaching at a university in the United States. Language Learning in Higher Education, 4 (2), 395–422. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Iwai, T., Kondo, K., Lim, D. S., Ray, G. E., Shimizu, H., & Brown, J. D.
(1999) Japanese language needs analysis 1998–1999. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Second Language Teaching and Curriculum Center. Retrieved October 26, 2016 from [URL].
Jean, G., & Simard, D.
(2011) Grammar teaching and learning in L2: Necessary but boring? Foreign Language Annals, 44 (3), 467–494. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Jiang, S., Wang, H., & Tschudi, S.
(2014) Intercultural learning on the web: Reflections on practice. In D. M. Chun (Ed.), Cultura-inspired intercultural exchanges: Focus on Asian and Pacific languages (pp. 127–144). Honolulu, HI: National Foreign Language Center.Google Scholar
Johnson, R. B., Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Turner, L. A.
(2007) Toward a definition of mixed methods research. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1 (2), 112–33.Google Scholar
Kells, H. R.
(1983) Self-study processes: A guide for postsecondary institutions. New York/London: American Council on Education, Macmillan.Google Scholar
Long, M. H.
(2005a) Methodological issues in learner needs analysis. In M. H. Long (Ed.), Second language needs analysis (pp. 19–76). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2005b) Overview: A rationale for needs analysis and needs analysis research. In M. H. Long (Ed.), Second language needs analysis (pp. 1–16). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Looney, D., & Lusin, N.
(2018) Enrollments in languages other than English in United States institutions of higher education, Summer 2016 and Fall 2016: Preliminary report. Retrieved June 3, 2018 from [URL].
Loughran, J.
(2007) Researching teaching education practices: Responding to the challenges, demands, and expectations of self-study. Journal of Teacher Education, 58 (1), 12–20. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Loughran, J., & Northfield, J.
(1998) A framework for the development of self-study practice. In M. L. Hamilton (Ed.), Reconceptualizing teaching practice: Self-study in teacher education (pp. 7–18). London: Falmer.Google Scholar
Lunenberg, M., Zwart, R., & Korthagen, F.
(2010) Critical issues in supporting self-study. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26 1, 1280–1289. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lynch, B.
(1992) Evaluating a program inside and out. In J. C. Alderson and A. Beretta (Eds.), Evaluating second language education (pp. 61–95). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Norris, J., Brown, J. D., Hudson, T., & Yoshioka, J.
(1998) Designing second language performance assessments. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai‘i Second Language Teaching and Curriculum Center.Google Scholar
Patton, M. Q.
(2008) Utilization-focused evaluation. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.Google Scholar
Richards, J. C.
(2017) Curriculum approaches in language teaching. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning Vol III1. (pp. 117–131). London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S.
(2014) Approaches and methods in language teaching. 3rd Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Serafini, E. J., Lake, J. B., & Long, M. H.
(2015) Needs analysis for specialized learner populations: Essential methodological improvements. English for Specific Purposes, 40 1, 11–29. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Sung, K., & Tsai, H.
(2013) Investigating students’ needs in a Chinese language program. GSTF International Journal on Education (Jed), 1 (2), 47–54.Google Scholar
Wang, H.
(2011) Chinese for business professionals: Workplace needs and business Chinese textbooks. Global Business Languages, 16 1, 26–42.Google Scholar
(2013) Attaining sustainable growth of a business Chinese program through utilization-focused evaluation. Global Business Languages, 18 1, 130–144.Google Scholar
Yousuf, M. I.
(2007) Using experts’ opinions through Delphi technique. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 12 (4), 1–8.Google Scholar
Cited by

Cited by 1 other publications

Zhu, Junling
2023. Critical Literature Review on Teaching Chinese as a World Language in the Context of Globalization. Language and Sociocultural Theory 9:2 DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 27 march 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.