Mandarin Language Learning Anxiety Among Non-Chinese Learners: A Case of Universiti Teknologi MARA

Abstract

Learning Mandarin as a foreign language or third language can be very difficult for non-Chinese learners. In the process of learning Mandarin, non-Chinese learners may experience certain level of foreign language anxiety. The objectives of this study are to investigate Mandarin language anxiety level and its associated factors among non-Chinese learners. This study involved 221 non-Chinese learners who enrolled in Introductory Mandarin Language in Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Sarawak. The instrument for this study included the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) developed by Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope (1986). The collected data were analysed using Statistical package for Social Science (SPSS) 22. The results of the study indicated that most of the non-Chinese learners experienced a moderate level of anxiety while learning Mandarin. The main factor that contributed to their language anxiety was communication apprehension, followed by fear of negative evaluation and test anxiety.