L2 Chinese learning motivation and learning strategies: A study about L2 Chinese learners among European universities

Given the increasing number of L2 Chinese learners in Europe, it is critical to understand their learning motivation and strategies to support successful Chinese acquisition. This study aims to explore learners’ motivation for learning Chinese and examines how these relate to their learning strategies. With a mixed research design, SPSS 28 was utilized for descriptive analysis, Mplus 8.3 was employed for Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and STATA 18.0 was adopted for analysing the relationship between learning motivation and learning strategies by a hierarchical regression model. In addition, MAXQDA2022 was employed for qualitative analysis of L2 Chinese learning motivation. The findings highlight diverse motivation of European L2 Chinese learners and their impact on the use of Chinese learning strategies. The study offers valuable insights on Chinese learning motivation, various learning strategies and provides implications for improving Chinese learning and teaching outcomes. It also contributes to the understanding of how cultural background and institutional contexts in Europe influence L2 Chinese learning, offering guidance for refining strategies to promote Chinese language education in European settings.