Chinese as a second/foreign language teaching and research: changing classroom contexts and teacher choices

Abstract

This article discusses recent changes in Chinese as a second/foreign language (CSL/FL) teaching and research with particular attention to the following: the diversification of contexts for CSL/FL learning in terms of the linguistic, cultural, educational, professional, and social needs of learners; the advances in language learning research over the past 25 years that can provide a principled rather than an ad hoc basis for informing choices teachers make in their classrooms, specific areas include interlanguage, developmental sequences, pedagogical grammar, conversation, and culture. Implications of these changes are considered in relation to the beliefs of CSL/FL teachers. The article is intended as a synthesis and evaluation of language teaching research that can contribute to the neglected field of CSL/FL. It begins with a brief overview of the current status of CSL/FL both inside and outside Greater China.