Mapping development and challenges of teaching mandarin in England

Mandarin is a fast-growing language in England in the last decade. Although the development of the language is still at its initial stage, the establishment as one of the mainstream foreign languages promotes the learning of Mandarin, in particular in secondary schools. This paper is part of a wider research project about motivational strategies in Mandarin classrooms in England and presents the education policy in England since the 1990s, including changes of foreign language policies in the last three decades. It aims to provide a concrete foundation for the discussion of how the language policies have an impact on the development of teaching Mandarin Chinese in England. It also addresses the challenges of teaching Mandarin Chinese in the context of foreign language classrooms. Lastly, it concludes with suggestions for the future development of Mandarin Chinese in the next decade in England.
過去十年，英國越來越多人學習中文（Mandarin Chinese），應考中等教育普通證書（GCSE）的學生於2014-2018期間更增加了百分之二十。儘管中文作為外語學習及其相關研究仍然處於發展階段，但作為常規外語課程的其中一種語言，與其他歐洲外語如法文、德文及西班牙文擁有相同重要性。中文作為一門外語學習受到政府、家長及學校的推崇。本文旨在整理及分析英格蘭過去三十年的外語教學政策， 從而淺論中文在此教育政策下的定位及發展方向。同時亦歸納現時中學生學習中文為外語的困難，期望為未來的有關研究提出建議。 Copyright © 2020 香港教育大學中國語言學系；哥倫比亞大學中文部；中華書局（香港）有限公司.