Factors associated with Mandarin proficiency among Pilipino-Chinese students in selected Chinese schools in Iloilo City: Its implications to the socio-political conditions of the Chinese community

Abstract

Under the background of the global “learn Chinese”, Mandarin has been spreaded all over the world in full swings. In southeast Asian countries, Chinese communication has more advantages than other areas, yet the people who can speak Chinese become less and less except Singapore and Malaysia. The purpose of this article is through the Philippine Chinese teenagers’ Chinese language environment, and combined with the Chinese use present situation, trying to find the level the the language proficiency and its implications to the socio-political conditions of the Chinese community.

This study combines with the method of documentaion, the method of investigation and cross tabulations. It focuses on the psychological language environment and the objective language environment. And from family, school and society three aspects to investigate the use of Chinese status.

The general objective of this study is to determine the factors associated with Mandarin proficiency of Filipino-Chinese High School students in selected Chinese Schools in Iloilo City.

The research population involve in the study are those from the selected two local Chinese school: Sun Yat Sen High School and Huasiong College of Iloilo. The total respondents is to 128.

Based on the data analysis, the Mandarin language level in the two schools are low. The main finding is that it is possible for the students to learn Mandarin well.