Chinese culture, identity and language anxiety : An investigation of Putonghua learners in Hong Kong

Numerous studies have established the importance of culture, identity and anxiety in influencing language learning, but only few have investigated the interplay between students’ cultural learning, cultural identity and language anxiety. With Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, the government adopted the language policy of “Trilingualism (Cantonese, Putonghua and English) and Biliteracy (Chinese and English)”. In recent years, there have been great changes in people’s sense of self-identity and their attitude towards Putonghua, the national lingua franca by speakers of different dialects in China. Putonghua, which is considered as a marker of Chinese identity, has become a compulsory course in many university programs. This study, funded by a university research committee, intended to explore the inter­relationships among students’ sense of self-identity, Chinese culture learning and Putonghua learning anxiety in Hong Kong, and to compare the cultural identity and cultural learning issues between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland. The subjects were drawn from different disciplines in one university each in Hong Kong and on the Mainland. Questionnaires on students’ sense of self-identity and language anxiety, a test on Chinese cultural knowledge and a demographic information sheet were administered to students. Statistical analysis involved correlational analysis, t-tests, ANOVA, factor analysis and regression analysis. Interviews were conducted to investigate the likely factors underlying the relationships. The results showed significant correlations between Chinese cultural knowledge, self-sense of Chinese identity, Putonghua learning anxiety and self-perceived Putonghua proficiency; differences were found among gender, grade level and regional groups; and socio-cultural influences on Chinese cultural learning, identity, Putonghua learning and language anxiety were identified. The long-term impact and implications of this study are discussed.