Motivation of Chinese University Students towards Learning Japanese

The present study investigated the motivational factors of Chinese students who are learning Japanese language at Harbin University of Science and Technology in China. 200 students answered the motivation questionnaire that consists of 38 reasons for learning Japanese. Their final examination grades were used as a determiner of their Japanese proficiency. Factor analysis and stepwise regression were performed. Six motivational factors were extracted: "Study in Japan", "Interest in language learning", "Job orientation", "Self-esteem", "Japanese popular culture", and "Knowing about Japan." The stepwise analysis revealed that the "Job orientation" was the best predictor of their language achievement. Although this finding is not consistent with those of previous studies, the result reflects Chinese students' social-cultural background. It suggested that to further facilitate students' Japanese language learning, it is necessary to raise cultural exchange between China and Japan