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Duna Raletsatsi, University of Botswana, BotswanaAbstract
The teaching of Mandarin Chinese at the University of Botswana has been ongoing for over a decade. Initially, it was predominantly taught by native Mandarin Chinese instructors, but in recent years, local Mandarin Chinese instructors have also taken on this role. Despite this shift, limited research exists on student perceptions of both native and non-native Mandarin Chinese instructors. This qualitative study investigates these perceptions, focusing on the advantages and disadvantages of learning Mandarin Chinese from each type of instructor. Data were gathered through questionnaires administered to sixteen students enrolled in Mandarin Chinese courses at the University of Botswana. Using content analysis, key themes were identified and categorised. The findings highlight several perceived advantages of local Mandarin Chinese instructors, including their ability to use students’ first languge to explain complex concepts, adapt teaching styles to suit students’ learning needs, offer clear explanations with relatable examples and understand students’ challenges due to shared cultural or linguistic backgrounds. Conversely, native Mandarin Chinese instructors are perceived as advantageous in their ability to provide accurate pronunciation and tonal instruction, and impart deep cultural knowledge and authentic language usage. However, the disadvantages of one group often align with the advantages of the other. The study has significant implications for classroom practices and teacher professional development, suggesting that a balanced approach incorporating strengths from both native and non-native Mandarin Chinese instructors may optimise the learning experience.
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Conference: ECE2025Stream: Learning Experiences
This paper is part of the ECE2025 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Raletsatsi D. (2025) Advantages and Disadvantages of Non-native Mandarin Chinese Instructors: Student Perceptions at the University of Botswana ISSN: 2188-1162 The European Conference on Education 2025: Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 273-284) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2188-1162.2025.23
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2188-1162.2025.23
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