The teaching of Chinese as a second or foreign language: a systematic review of the literature 2005-2015

This paper reports the results of a review of research articles on the teaching of Chinese as a second or foreign language published in four leading mainland Chinese journals during the years 2005-2015. The review found that Chinese language researchers are exploring a wide array of issues including language policy and planning, language learning and use, language pedagogy, teacher development and language testing. These studies document the efforts that Chinese language researchers and teachers have made to meet the explosively growing demand for Chinese language learning in the world. Furthermore, it was noted that the leading Chinese journals have become more receptive to empirical studies although a large number of non-empirical articles are still being published. Overall, research in these journals is still beset with different challenges, and there is a need for more rigorous scholarship on the part of researchers. For this reason, the review concludes with suggestions for Chinese journals so that they can promote high-quality research to support the global development of Chinese language education.