A comparative study of perceptions and experiences of online Chinese language learners in China and the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic

This study compared the perceptions and experiences of 173 students studying Chinese as a foreign language in universities online during the COVID-19 pandemic in China and the United States. Controlling students’ previous diversity of Chinese course delivery modes across countries and Chinese language levels, three two-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were conducted to compare differences among three dependent variables: 1) satisfaction towards online classes; 2) self-perceived learning effectiveness online versus onsite; and 3) willingness to take a virtual Chinese course in the future. The results did not find statistical significances regarding students’ satisfaction and willingness across countries and language levels. However, the results found students in the United States (US) viewed online classes as significantly less effective than learning in-person, which was different from the views of students in China. The Pearson correlation analysis indicated that there were positive correlations among these three variables. Pearson chi-squared tests found that, significantly, students in the US preferred to take Chinese courses in-person. Pearson’s chi-squared tests on categories formed from the three open-ended questions highlighted the importance of four factors influencing the success of students’ online classes: technology, emotion and motivation, learning productivity, and teaching presence. Pedagogical recommendations are discussed.