Chinese as a Second Language. The journal of the Chinese Language Teachers Association, USA - Volume 59, Issue 2, 2024

Despite growing attention to the role of proficiency guidelines in Chinese as a second language (CSL) teaching and learning, systematic empirical research in this area remains limited. This special issue examines the impact of proficiency-oriented instruction in CSL education through five empirical studies focusing on program design, assessment, and intercultural competence, addressing challenges posed by innovations in language learning technology and evolving learner needs. Proficiency-oriented instruction encourages educators to design flexible curricula, organize teaching, and conduct assessments based on students' communication needs, linguistic knowledge, and communicative competence. This approach ensures clear, structured learning objectives while promoting student-centered and diverse teaching methods and strategies. This collection of studies bridges research and practice, fostering pathways for proficiency development in a globalized, multilingual world.

This study evaluates the proficiency progress of Chinese L2 learners in a four-year Chinese language program using the OPI and HSK assessments to explore benchmarks for proficiency-based program design. Findings indicated that students advanced approximately one HSK level per year in reading and listening skills. In speaking, they advanced more than one sub-level per semester; however, their progress slowed significantly upon reaching the ACTFL advanced level. Students completed the program close to HSK level 5 in reading and listening and at the ACTFL advanced-mid level in speaking. A significant correlation between HSK and OPI scores was found, suggesting that both assessments effectively measure language proficiency. The results also confirm strong alignment between the curriculum and the program’s learning objectives in terms of proficiency achievement.

With its evident need in a globalized era, world language education has nonetheless faced a precipitous enrollment decline in the U.S. This study responds to such challenges by proposing a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Blended Curriculum Metamodel. The Metamodel aims to provide proficiency-oriented instruction for learners across levels with diverse backgrounds, abilities, and needs. At the novice-intermediate level, a technology-enriched asynchronous series was designed as an integral or supplementary part of a face-to-face class with the aim to provide multiple means of representation and action & expression. At the intermediate-advanced level, a self-guided project was designed to provide students with multiple means of engagement. The study examined the effectiveness of the proposed Metamodel via students’ perceptions and discussed implications for its further implementations.

Listening poses significant challenges for L2 learners and is difficult to improve (Graham, 2011). Research shows that L2 Chinese learners’ listening performance lags behind speaking and reading even after four years of college study (Winke et al., 2020). However, the factors influencing listening comprehension remain underexplored (Cai, 2015; Wang & Treffers-Daller, 2017). This study investigates the impact of oral proficiency, vocabulary size, metacognitive awareness, and test anxiety on listening comprehension among 89 CSL learners. Results from multiple regression analyses indicate that oral proficiency and vocabulary size are significant predictors of listening performance. For less proficient listeners, oral proficiency was crucial, while vocabulary size was most significant for advanced listeners. The importance of step-by-step vocabulary development and proficiency-guided language output opportunities is discussed.

Interactive listening (IL) is understood as the interactional process in which listeners not just listen and comprehend but also actively monitor the ongoing talk, display understanding of it, clarify meaning, and advance conversation. Despite its importance in L2 learning, IL does not have much presence in standardized proficiency tests. This study thus aims to develop a rating scale for assessing IL with data drawn from beginning-level L2 Chinese learners’ unscripted conversations with L1 interlocutor. Using the framework of conversation analysis, this study identifies three aspects of IL in which different groups of learners vary most distinctively, that is, 1) the variety of listener responses used; 2) the ways in which understanding and engagement are demonstrated; and 3) sequential orientation. A rating scale with specific descriptors is then proposed.

This paper investigates the development of intercultural competence (IC) in proficiency-based Chinese as a Foreign Language classroom through a cross-institutional community-engaged project. Under the framework of NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements of IC (NCSSFL-ACTFL, 2017), direct and indirect evidence from 28 learners from two universities in the U.S. revealed improvement in IC when students investigated cultural perspectives and interacted with community members and peers. Students’ positive attitudes toward this pedagogical approach, combined with language proficiency training and IC development, further affirm the effectiveness of these initiatives in promoting online cultural exchange and community-engaged learning. Additionally, students’ original degree of familiarity regarding certain cultural themes before the project emerged as a significant factor in IC development.