Research on the Design of Local Chinese Teaching Materials for Ethiopians
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Date
2024-10-02
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Ethiopia stands as one of the oldest countries in the world boasting a rich history that spans thousands of years .The nation proudly maintains its own writing system known as Ge’ez, which stands as one of the oldest alphabets still in use today notably Ethiopia is one of only two African countries that managed to evade colonization by a European power this proud nation is characterized by its multiculturalism and multilingualism with over 80 languages spoken within its borders while the teaching of foreign languages in Ethiopia began in the early 20th century concurrent with the introduction of the Chinese language commenced much earlier the Confucius institute for instance was established in Ethiopia in the year 2010 but even before its inception there were informal lessons in the Chinese language offered by some privately owned language teaching centers
The purpose of this extensive and in-depth research is to thoroughly examine and identify the current landscape of Chinese language teaching materials in Ethiopia it aims to gain a comprehensive understanding of the types of materials being used extensively evaluate their advantages and disadvantages and delve into the intricacies of the demand for local Chinese teaching materials the research also seeks to undertake a meticulous analysis of the required content and various other crucial aspects that contribute to the efficacy of these teaching material s to achieve these objectives the research employed a multifaceted approach utilizing various research methodologies ,these mythologies include an extensive literature review the distribution of carefully crafted questionnaires and the conducting of insightful phone interviews with local Chinese language teachers who provided invaluable firsthand perspectives and experiences the collected data from the questionnaire respondents was meticulously analyzed using the powerful and sophisticated data mining application software SPSS.
The findings of this comprehensive research revealed several compelling insights firstly it was uncovered that imported Chinese language textbooks are prepared in English however surprisingly the imported textbooks do not significantly conflict with Ethiopian culture and traditions offering an intriguing juxtaposition of challenges and compatibility in stark contrast the research brought to light the scarcity of scientifically revised local Chinese language teaching materials in Ethiopia particularly those based on the curriculum instead only a few dictionary like materials were found to be available indicating a noticeable gap that needs to be addressed despite this scarcity the research identified a high demand for local Chinese language textbooks particularly among learners who struggle with English ,as these materials play a pivotal role in overcoming language durries .
Moreover the research has put forth a strong recommendation that Ethiopian local Chinese language teaching materials should primarily forces on the construction manufacturing and trading sectors. This strategic alignment is justified by the fact that the majority of Chinese activities in Ethiopia revolve arolve these sectors highlighting the practical and industry-specific focus that should underpin the development of local Chinese language teaching materials