Bilingual learning motivation and engagement among students in Chinese-English bilingual education programmes in Mainland China: competing or coexistent?

Abstract

Learning motivation and engagement are critical factors influencing language proficiency, but previous research has primarily focused on these aspects from a monolingual perspective. The present study adopted a bilingual lens to simultaneously examine motivation and engagement in learning both Chinese and English among students in Chinese-English bilingual education programmes at non-traditional international schools in Mainland China. Based on the data from 328 fourth and fifth graders, the study found a positive correlation between Chinese and English learning motivation and engagement, with no significant differences between the two languages across most dimensions, except higher utility in English learning. To further explore the individual differences, Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) identified four distinct profiles: Low-bilingual-motivation-and-engagement, Chinese-focused learners, English-focused learners, and High-bilingual-motivation-and-engagement. Grade and gender significantly influenced bilingual learning dynamics, with students’ interest in both languages decreasing and Chinese time investment declining with grade level, while girls showed an advantage in perceiving the utility of both languages and Chinese learning time investment. However, grade and gender did not affect profile memberships. This study contributes to both theory and practice by enhancing our understanding of bilingual learning processes and informing targeted educational strategies to support balanced bilingual development.

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