Linguistic Attitudes and Chinese Language Learning Outcomes Among African Students in the Context of China–Africa Cooperation
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Abstract
This explanatory sequential mixed methods study examined the relationship between language attitude and Chinese learning outcomes among 312 African international students in China, followed by 18 semi-structured interviews. Grounded in Gardner’s socio-educational model, attitude was disaggregated into affective, cognitive, and behavioral dimensions. Outcomes included listening, speaking, reading, writing, communicative competence, and learning persistence. Results showed moderately positive attitudes (mean = 3.87), with cognitive attitude highest (4.15) and behavioral engagement lowest (3.45). Learning outcomes were moderate (mean = 3.58), with writing critically underdeveloped. Affective attitude was the strongest predictor (β = 0.36, p < 0.001), followed by behavioral (β = 0.22, p < 0.001) and cognitive (β = 0.11, p = 0.042). Perception of China–Africa cooperation policies significantly moderated the attitude–outcome relationship (B = 0.18, p < 0.001), with simple slopes increasing from 0.36 (low policy perception) to 0.68 (high policy perception). A performance gap between English- and French-speaking African students was confirmed. This study extends Gardner’s model to South–South mobility contexts and offers practical insights for Chinese language instruction targeting African learners.
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