Personality Combinations and Chinese Acquisition: A Study of International Students in China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jhet.202615336

Author(s)

Yaotong Wang, Nan Deng*

Affiliation(s)

College of Foreign Language, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China *Corresponding Author.

Abstract

It is well-accepted that personality can be an important factor impacting the second language acquisition. However, how the mechanism behind it remain less explored. This study mainly focuses on the influence of different combinations on Chinese acquisition by surveying 50 international students from 8 countries studying at Beijing University of Technology. Another crucial factor foreign language anxiety was also introduced to establish the relationship between the personality and language proficiency. The data was analyzed by using SPASS software. There are mainly three findings. First of all, there are three different personality groups being identified, which showed significant differences in terms of anxiety and proficiency levels. Neuroticism was the only significant predictor of foreign language anxiety. The last and most important finding is foreign language anxiety plays a mediating role in the whole process, which prove the theory of chain model that is proposed in the study.

Keywords

Big Five Personality; Foreign Language Anxiety; Chinese Proficiency; International Students; Mediating Effect; Distal-Proximal Chain Model

References

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